Hollow Memories
by floodmaster16
Summary: "There's no greater act of love than sacrificing personal happiness for the welfare of the person you love. Even if that shatters your own heart" Third and final installment in the Heartbroken trilogy. Johnathan's mind is falling piece by piece and Mavis deals with an unexpected turn in her's and her son's lives. Strongly recommended to read Heartbroken and Resignation first.
1. Prologue

**Hello there! Are you excited for this last part on the Heartbroken series? I sure as hell am. While we all now how this one will end (I surprised you with the ending of Resignation, didn't I?) the ride there will be the fun part. Buckle up, ladies and gents!:**

_You know that funny feeling, when you can't remember something no matter how much you try? An idea buried deep in your mind, that refuses to come out completely? _

_That's how I feel right now. Multiplied by thirty. _

_I see somebody, everytime I go to sleep. A woman, with her back to me. Her hair has bangs, and she wears a black dress. We are in a rooftop, watching the sunrise. But I cannot remember anything about her. Not her name, not her face. But I'm sure I know her. I've spent a year without proper sleep, trying to piece together this goddamn puzzle inside my head. The disturbing thing is... the dream makes me happy. I feel complete, like I belong with her, whoever she is. As soon as I'm on that dream... I'm complete. _

_And it's frustrating. I don't feel like that out there. I feel stresssed. Unhappy. I feel robbed of something. None of the women I've met, none of the few friends I have can take away this feeling. It's so bad that sometimes... I just want it to end. To cease my existance and maybe take that feeling to the grave with me. But I can't. Everytime my finger is on the trigger, ready to end this feeling... she comes back. _

_I live haunted by a dream. A dream of a woman I cannot remember. But I can say one thing for sure. My place is by her side. No matter who she is._

* * *

Mavis O'Donnell woke up to the sound of a baby crying. Her eyes opened slowly, while the mental cobbwebs of sleeping cleared away. She registered where she was and what was happening, and slowly rose from the bed she shared with her husband. Padraigh O'Donnell laid on said bed, his sleep undisturbed by the cries coming from the nearby crib. The vampiress carefully picked its ocupant, rocking him on her arms to try and sooth the rebellious newborn.

"Nathan O'Donnell, you are a mean little vampire!" she softly declared to the baby, whose crying finally started to dwindle. _How do I get him to stop? Maybe... _

_Hush little vampire don't say a word._

_Mommy is gonna bite the head off a bird!_

The baby stopped crying, his attention robbed by his mother's singing. Mavis could only chuckle at the effectiveness of the song. _An oldie but a goodie._

The baby vampire had been born two weeks ago, something that had worried her a bit, since that made him a premature kid. But her worries were short-lived, quickly gone away after the first two days. Needless to say, the new parents had problems adapting their lives to the new addition to their family, but they did their best to keep up with the new responsibilities. They had bought a house near the hotel, something close enough to visit Dracula and Claire, who had completely fallen in love with their grandchild, but far enough to feel like they were doing the real parenting. Due to O'Donnell's owning of a succesful and reknowned logistics company, they were faring pretty well in the economic aspect. But that meant they had too much spare time. In theory.

The novice mother realized her brood was not going to sleep anytime soon, so she checked the time on the wall clock they had in their bedroom. Six o'clock in the afternoon. _One more hour of sleep than yesterday... now I know what uncle Wayne meant by that._ Resigned to not being able to go back to sleep again, she sat on the rocking chair near Nathan's crib and cooed him, making him giggle while he used part of his hand as a pacifier. Her husband finally woke up, rising from the messy bed and covering his muscular frame with a robe. He headed for his wife and child, his stride still somewhat clumsy from the sleep. He lowered himself to her level and softly kissed the side of her head.

"Mornin' darling"

"Mornin' handsome" she answered, snuggling against his neck. The baby in her arms reached with his arms toward his father, and Padraigh delicately picked him up, relieving Mavis of the responsibility. She sighed tiredly, lack of sleep finally getting to her.

"Why don't you catch some sleep, Mave? I can take care of this little tosser. Ain't that right, little Nate?". The vampiress gave her husband a tired smile, agreeing to his suggestion.

"Alright. But don't call him a tosser, that's demeaning!" she heard the older man chuckle as she laid back on the bed and covered her form with the sheets. While she slowly drifted into sleep, Padraigh rocked little Nate in his arms, and then began to tell him a story about olden knights and castles. There was no way in hell the newborn vampire could understand a thing of what his father was telling him, but the funny sounds he made and the exagerated gestures kept him entertained while his mother rested. In the next few hours Mavis would wake up, get showered, prepare breakfast for her husband and breast-feed her baby, and spend the rest of the day figuring out how to keep the newborn entertained while she kept her home clean and running smooth. Padriagh would go to the woods to catch the day's food, helping his wife with their son late in the morning.

Just another day in the life of the O'Donnells.

**Well, I'll be the first one to admit this chapter ain't that good, but I wanted to give it a home-y feeling for the most part. Things you need to know about this story: it's very Johnny-centric (for the best part of it, at least), there'll be some (a lot) of action, and there will probably be some twists you may or may not like. By the way, I corrected a few issues with Resignation's last chalter, a few typos, so if you felt like not reading it because of them... well, you've got no excuse now (lol). So, please leave your reviews, things you'll like to see (can't guarantee they'll make it into the story, but who knows) and if you liked this small intro. Thanks in advance for your time.**


	2. A mental excersise

Johnathan went through the inner glass door of the new ARES Industries Headquarters, located in sunny Miami, Florida. The company had relocated due to their constant problems with New York's policies, and he had to admit the mood was a tad better now. _Politicians_, he nearly snarled. Distrust and outright hate of politics and bureaucracy was another of the (many) things he picked up during his deployment, and one of the few things that could keep his mind busy long enough to make life endurable and avoiding his usual mind-drifting and day-dreaming. He sipped coffee from his mug as he opened his office's door and sat unceremoniously on the swivel chair, quickly focusing his attention on the seemingly-never ending flow of paperwork that always found a way to arrive in his desk.

He always did his best to focus his whole attention on his job, but there were days when he just couldn't. Those days when he would try to dig into his own mind, trying to exorcise or at least finally know who the mysterious girl on his dreams was. In the beginning, he thought of it as a fine mental exercise, trying to solve the mystery. But overtime it became an obsession, a task where he tried too much but the results were none. It was something he tried to avoid as much as possible, but bottling it up just made it worse, resulting in him losing a day's worth of job dealing with it (not that it mattered, he was always ahead of schedule when it came to his work). He closed his eyes, decided to get it over with. _The sooner the better._

He had dreamed it so much that he could remember every detail of it, from the girl's jet-black hair, styled in bangs, down to the clothes he wore, short pants with a yellow shirt and a faded trench-coat. That's what always seemed odd to him, the trench coat, and that's what ultimately led him to believe his dream was more than just random stuff he pieced together from some movie or book he'd read. He never did liked trench coats, and the fact that he was using one in his dream was something that might seem trivial to anybody else, but he knew that little details could change the context of the big picture. _God is in the details, ladies!_ He could remember hearing from his Drill Sergeant, a burly black man who was a bit too happy to make boot camp slightly more miserable.

_Focus, you are drifting away! _He thought to himself, focusing on his previous task.

"_This… is… the most… incredible thing I've ever seen" she says, her back still to him, her attention robbed by something. What is it? What is she paying attention to? There… it's a sunrise. Okay, yeah, sunrises are pretty neat, but why does she act like she's never seen one?_

It didn't matter how much thought he gave to it, it made little sense to him. The scene was so surreal that he might be able to fit it in a fictional book or soap opera. Yet, the beauty of it, the sunrise over the mountain, covered with a lush (if creepy) forest… it was… beautiful. It was peaceful. _But why?! _The desperation got the better out of him, causing a sudden anger burst during which he threw all the paperwork to the carpeted floor.

"I've heard of bad Mondays, but yours is the worst case I've seen so far" Daniel Marlow, CEO and founder of ARES industries (and Johnathan's brother) stood on the doorframe, watching his brother have a fit scarcely 10 minutes after clocking in. While he disguised it pretty well, he was one of the few who had at least half an idea of what was happening to his brother. He had been, after all, in charge of looking for Dracula's daughter when she went missing some years ago, much for the benefit of his then-depressed-and-near-suicidal brother. He was more than disappointed to see that all of his efforts where in van, since, despite his fancy new job and apparently-straightened life, the man was still as emotionally crushed and demolished as before.

It was different now, though. His brother seemed to have mental blank spots of everything that had happened regarding the mythological Count's offspring. While at first this had seemed to be something good, he soon found out that a blank memory didn't necessarily translated into a blank heart, and his brother was pretty much in love with a person he didn't even remembered. He was, essentially, a prisoner of his own heart. _But that's not what I'm here for._

"You should have seen me last week, almost jumped out of that window" Johnathan replied, giving his brother a half-smile for the sake of politeness.

"Doubt it, that window is embassy-grade blast-resistant glass. You could fire rocket into that thing and it wouldn't break. I would have to hire somebody to clean up and fix the outer wall, though"

"Then I'll keep my toys at home. Coffee?" Daniel nodded at his brother's offering, and Johnathan poured his boss-brother a cup of steaming coffee. "What brings you here? Checking out how lesser types live?"

"Of course, I sometimes need to lift my mood" they both chuckled, the joke being an internal one and never told in public, lest they cause a swarm of politically-correct activists to come for their heads. "Nah, I'm here because you got mail, a personal letter. I figured it would be better to bring it to you personally. Do you know a… Jessica Torres?"

"Uh… not personally, but I do know her husband, John Torres. We were squad mates in the 'Stan. He saved my ass for good a couple of times. Maybe she's trying to reach to me to plan a surprise for him or something. She's that kind of girl, ya know?" Johnathan snatched the envelope from his brother's hands, using a thin-bladed knife to cautiously slash the brittle strip of glue under the lapel and extracted a single paper sheet. His mood and demeanor had gone from bad to worse by the time he finished.

"What's wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost"

Johnathan blinked once and then refocused on reality.

"John is dead"

"What?! How?"

"Car accident. Drunk asshole hit him, he died instantly according to her"

"Jesus. What a horrible way to go"

"Yeah, I know"

They sat in silence for a minute or two, Daniel out of respect of his brother's friend and Johnathan trying to digest what he had just read. That Torres had saved his life a couple of times was an understatement. The latin-ascendance Texan had been one of the closest friends he'd had in his life, a bond that was strengthened when he had pulled and unconscious Johnathan from a Humvee in the middle of a firefight. Torres would take his discharge along with Johnathan, going to work as a psychiatrist and often being the one that had helped Johnathan try to put a face on Johnathan's mystery girl. And now he was gone. _Just like that. A man that survived countless shootouts against ruthless religious extremists, humping heavy packs in one of the Earth's most rugged and unforgivable terrains, comes home after surviving hell on earth and gets killed by a random idiot who went out on a bender. Unbelievable._

"I'm sorry bro" Daniel finally broke the silence, a sincere gesture to his brother, who'd just realized he had lost another important person in his life.

"They'll give him a service in two days. Do you think I could…"

"Yeah, no need to ask. I'll take care of your work"

"Thanks bro"

* * *

"Who's a little rebellious vampire, uh? You are, little Nate!" Mavis cooed to her son while she used her magic to change his diaper. The baby giggled uncontrollably as she tickled him, a mother-and-son moment that made the rookie mother very happy. While it was true that motherhood was anything but easy (more so when the baby is a vampire and ages so slowly), she found herself enjoying every second of it, from Nathan's birth to the present moment. She thought that the fact that O'Donnell was also a very attentive and loving father and husband was also part of the reason she didn't feel particularly restless about her new responsibilities. Padraigh was always eager to take care of their son, often playing with him and helping her when the little vampire threw his tantrums, which none of them understood the reason for.

"You want to see your daddy, huh? He should have arrived an hour earlier. Where could he be?" but the baby offered no answers beyond beaming his eyes towards his mother. Mavis cradled him and the baby was fast-sleep in no time. Another twenty minutes would pass before the house`s door opened and her husband peeked inside, not wanting to risk spooking the sleeping vampire on his wife's arms.

"Is he out?" he whispered as he tip-toed his way to the couch were Mavis had sat to wait for him.

"Yep. A storm could bring down the house around him and he wouldn't even flinch" she answered with a smile.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that" O'Donnell retorted, sitting by her side and using his left arm to embrace her by her hips. The couple watched their son sleep peacefully, Mavis trying to picture her own father raising her as a baby, perhaps not so unlike Nathan himself. _Surely he would have had a few gray hairs after raising her if he wasn't a vampire._

"Why did you take so long? I was worried" she said, changing subjects.

"I'm sorry, Mavy, it took a bit longer than I expected. I got a call from Ireland. The guy I left inn charge, Summers, he wanted me to go back, he said it was urgent. I tried to talk him out of the idea but he's a stubborn bastard. I'll have to head over there in the next few days."

It wasn't good news. The couple loved to travel, and normally going to Ireland wasn't something very complicated for them. But they had a baby now. They couldn't drop everything and go away at a moment's notice. Yet, perhaps this was going to be the last opportunity they would have in decades.

"You know… we could ask Dad and Claire to take care of Nate… I'm sure they'll love to spend time with him. And we wouldn't be away more than a few days, right?" she offered, trying to get the gears on her husband's head rolling.

"No, not really… but… it doesn't feel right, you know. I feel weird about this whole thing."

"Hey, it's ok, it was just a suggestion, alright? You don't have to do it if it doesn't feel right"

Yet, he could sense the slight disappointment in her voice. O'Donnell went to bed that morning thinking time and time again the situation. He didn't like the situation at all, his gut telling him that it was best to stay put. But he felt like he was punishing Mavis for no reason. She was still very young, she wanted to see the world still and see and experience new stuff. Yes, having a baby was great and none of them would argue that, but their traveling together was also something great, an activity both of them loved, and Mavis wanted a last taste of it before she had to forfeit it for some years (probably a couple hundred, if they decided to have more kids, an idea that hadn't yet made it to their plans for the future). It was a delicate subject, he finally decided before falling sleep, and he needed to think it through and through.

_Tomorrow._

**_Yeah, I know, I'm late. Sorry. Holidays are over, had to come back home and all that. Add the jet lag and you have a recipe for two days of good ole lazyness. Anyways, don't forget to review and I hope you are liking it so far. I know I've strayed way too far from the movie's feel but it's not so bad, is it?_**


	3. A wiser mind to look for advice

**Yes, yes, you are late, I know. Sorry guys, it's just a bit hard to update at times, college is up again and it's not very easy to keep a good pace at it (whenver somebody tells you university is easy, feel free to tell him how wrong he/she is) Allas, I bring you another chapter of this story.**

Count Dracula opened his eyes, only to find complete darkness around him. He was conscious of a small weight on his chest, and it took him a couple of seconds to remember it was Claire's head, who hadn't yet woken up. His eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light around him, which wasn't really necessary, since he knew his way around the room without the need to look around. He used the time left for Claire to wake up (not much, hopefully) to do something he hadn't done in quite some time (since Martha, his first wife and Zing, died): remember.

* * *

_He could remember his life as human, ruling Wallachia with what he had deemed at the time as harsh but fair methods. He wanted to forget those years, but Alzheimer and other memory afflictions were unheard of on vampires, so he was forced to remember those years, probably the darkest ones in his life, years where he had actually enjoyed being cruel against his enemies. Admittedly, it was very far from some of the things he was credited with. He hadn't been a cannibal nor a merciless killer of innocents. It was true he had impaled people, but they had always been enemies of his, bent on destroying his rule over his territory and terrorizing his people. Still, it didn't mean it had been right at any rate, and he regretted many of his actions of those days past. It was thanks to one of these actions, though, that he was now the King of Vampires (a tittle he had never accepted)._

_He had learnt of the capabilities of Dark Magic through an ancient warlock and sorcerer, who tricked him into giving away his mortality for powers beyond his grasp. The Count didn't even blink before accepting, not stopping to think what giving away his mortality would mean. The old warlock had then given him a vial, half-full of a blue-ish liquid that didn't look appetizing at all, and then instructed him into drinking the liquid completely. The future-vampire did so immediately, expecting something overly dramatic to happen, like an unholy smoke enveloping him from toe-to-head. But nothing happened, or at least it seemed like so. The warlock bid him farewell at that exact time and disappeared, never to be seen again. It wasn't until Vlad Tepes III returned to his palace and stood in front of a mirror that he realized what had happened: his skin wasn't wrinkled anymore, his eyes weren't glazed, but bright and seemed full of… life? He even felt better than when he woke up in the morning, full of energy and without any of the physical afflictions he had begun to suffer of. Yet, he was very, very hungry. It was a strange hunger, one that called not for the finest and thickest steaks to be found, nor for the freshest produce of the territory. It was a hunger that called for something he hadn't yet tasted, but he was eager to find and try. He didn't need to go far._

_Right outside of the room he found a young maid, scarcely 20 years old. She recoiled at his sudden appearance, but stood her ground, looking down to avoid eye contact with the famous ruler._

"_My lord, supper is ready and the table is set for thee."_

_There was something… irresistible about her. She had a slender figure and fine facial features, but that was not what was drawing his attention to her. He could hear her pulse, slightly agitated, he could feel the heat of her body, and he could even detect a sweet smell coming from her. _

_It was intoxicating._

_He lunged forward, like a wild animal, operating out of the basic instinct to feed and quench his hunger. The girl didn't have time to do anything but let out a small gasp as he sank his newly-grown fangs into her neck. Her blood was a sweet nectar, beyond the taste of anything he had eaten in his life. But it was also addictive, turning him into a murderous monster for years to come, stalking entire villages and feeding himself indiscriminately._

* * *

Dracula closed his eyes, willing the memory to go away.

"Now I remember why I hate introspection" he muttered slightly

"Huh?" Claire exclaimed, waking up from her slumber. The Count smiled. He might have been a monster at some point of his life, but it was long behind him. He wasn't the vampire he used to be, his Zing had made sure of that. Even after her death, he sought no revenge against the vile beings that cold-heartedly murdered her, instead retreating as far away as possible and raising his daughter to the best of his abilities. And now? His life had changed for good again, giving him another chance at love. And parenthood.

"Nothing, my love. How are you tonight?"

"Better than last night, I could finally have a good night's sleep without…" she was interrupted by the crying of an infant, and she sighed slightly, "…that"

The old vampire chuckled while his wife got up from the bed to check on the crying infant. Lilith Dracula was on a crib (Mavis' old crib), crying in order to gain some attention from one of her parents, a ruse that worked well for her every single time. Claire picked her up and rocked her on her arms, while Dracula moved to her side to take a look at the most recent addition to the Dracula family.

"Good morning, little Lilith. How's our little ghoul tonight?" he cooed, to which the baby answered with a long and healthy dose of babbling. Both parents looked at the baby with warm smile; she was, after all, proof of how much they loved each other.

"Why don't you get yourself ready? In the meantime I can feed our little vampiress"

"Of course, darling. I'll be ready in no time" Dracula answered, as he stepped into the bathroom with a set of clean clothes.

* * *

O'Donnell stepped into Hotel Transylvania's entrance at almost that same time. The lobby had relatively low activity at this early hour, but he knew that the ambiance would change in the next hour or so, especially so with Wayne's pups. _Hope little Nate is not as rowdy as them, or I'll be in a spot of trouble._ Despite the few powers he had (which he rarely used), Padraigh O'Donnell was a human to the core. This was of special concern to him and Mavis, since he knew that unless he asked Dracula to help Mavis turn him, he wouldn't live enough to see his child grow up. It was a strange thing: he was a human, and Mavis was a vampire, yet Nathan O'Donnell was a full-fledged vampire. It seemed like the baby-vampire had only inherited some of his looks. _Maybe some of my powers too, but there's no way to tell right now._ Still, he had a more pressing concern in his head right now. He would cross the vampire-turning bridge when he got there.

"Good evening, sir!" exclaimed one of the security armors in the lobby, snapping ramrod-straight and saluting in a quasi-military way.

"Good evening. Any chance I could have a word or two with Mr. Dracula?"

"Of course, sir. We'll let him know you are here. Would you care for some breakfast while you wait?"

"Errr… no thanks, I'll wait for him right here in the lobby"

"Very well, sir"

The Irishman saw himself to a nearby couch and pulled one of the magazines from the stands, but his head was way too focused on the issue he was having that he soon re-positioned the magazine in its original placed and settled himself in a deep-thought position, one leg supported on top of the other.

Dracula arrived to the lobby twenty minutes later, with his younger daughter in his arms. He quickly spotted his son-in-law and headed in his direction, noticing the human's puffy eyes and his pensive state.

"I hope I don't look as bad as you do" the Count joked, attracting O'Donnell's attention.

"Vampires don't get puffy eyes because of lack of sleep, so you are good"

"I wasn't expecting you. Why the sudden visit? I mean, it's not like I'm complaining, but it's just a bit weird for you to show up here without notice. And where is Mavy?"

"Actually, I wanted you to give me some advice. You mind?"

"Not at all. What's the matter?" Dracula said, sitting Lilith on his lap, who babbled at O'Donnell, acknowledging the presence of her brother-in-law.

"Well, yesterday I got a call from the guy I left my company in charge of. He said that there was a matter that needed my attention and that I should come back to sort things out. I would normally do so without a problem, but I have a weird feeling about this one. I don't know why, but something doesn't add up, and it kept bugging through the day. Plus, now that little Nate is with us… I don't feel good about leaving Mavis alone with him, but we can't take him with us on the trip. I really feel bad about this, because I know Mavy wants to take a final trip before getting into parenting full-time, but I can't ignore what my gut is telling me. What do you think, Drac?"

The vampire had been listening intently to the human, and he had to admit it was a tough call.

"Well, I can't tell you what to do, Padraigh, but I think that sometimes gut feelings are there for a good reason. Many a man has paid dearly for ignoring them. That said, sometimes they are nothing to worry about. There's no way to tell which this one is, you'll have to make a gamble. As for little Nate, you know that we would be glad to look after him. Maybe little Lilith will have a babbling partner" as if on cue, the little baby on the Count's lap giggled and smiled at them. O'Donnell could not help but chuckle at her, and reflect that the olden vampire was right, the choice was his to make. Which doesn't necessarily meant it was going to be an easy one.

"I guess I'll talk about it with Mavis. We might be able to piece a plan together. Thanks for listening"

"No problem, kid you are family and we are here to help. Now, you should go, before Mavis worries about you not being home so early in the morning. Say hi for us to my daughter, and tell her we expect a visit soon."

"_I will, see you later"_

**_So, there it is. This one is kind of (too) slow, but I wanted to create some kind of "lore" to Drac's vampirism (it's not really good, or original, but it was the best I could muster), and to shed some light into what O'Donnell is. Anyways, as usual, leave your reviews and thoughts-suggestons, I appreciate them, and hopefully I'll update again this weekend. By the way, to all the future authors who might be reading this: don't be afraid to write your own fics. We all started somewhere, and sometimes the ideas we think are stupid are not at all, and they turn out to be what people have been waiting for. Seriously, guys, the only dumb idea is the one you don't share. We are all good people around here. Well, most of us..._**


	4. Unfounded guilt, cruelty of the Reaper

**UPPPDAAATEEEEE!**

Mavis stirred in her sleep, the nightmare reaching its climatic phase.

* * *

_She followed the crimson trail, her nose telling her what she already knew: blood. Her heart sank deeper in her chest with every step she took. A broken bottle lay in the carpeted floor, along with a familiar item: a 7-inch-blade KA BAR knife. Just like the one that…_

_A low grunt was picked up by her sharp hearing, almost a soft whimper, and she recognized who it belonged to. She crossed the room in a hurry, past an overturned small couch. She paused at the sight in front of her. The despair she had felt turned into complete panic and impotence. She kneeled by his side, picking up his dying frame. _

"_Mavey… I'm...I'm… sorry… I couldn't…"_

"_It's ok, you are ok. It's nothing, you'll be fine, I promise!" she quickly replied, trying to calm herself more than him._

"_Don't… lie to me… Mavey… I know… I'm messed up…"_

"_Don't say that, you are okay, you are okay!" she whimpered, trying to fix the situation with pure will power. _

"_I… I… love you, Mavey… you…you…" the energy left his body, and she could hear his heart giving up slowly. His life was slipping away right on her arms, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She felt powerless, despite being the daughter of the most powerful monster in the whole world. She wanted to do something, anything. Maybe… turn him! But how? They had talked about it, often disagreeing on whether they should or not try it, but she didn't know how to actually do it._

_It was late, anyway. His heart gave one final beat, and he ceased to be. He had died a painful death, but he had found enough strength to die as close to her as he could. Through the excruciating pain he had suffered, he left the world with the thin hint of a smile on his lips. But while he was gone and was now unable to suffer neither physical nor emotional pain, Mavis was now alone in a world that had just shrunken a bit more. She cried silently, emotional shock barring her from suffering a complete breakdown on the spot._

* * *

"_P-p-paddy? Wake up. Please. Wake up!"_

Mavis awoke with a startle. She was covered in sweat, and tears streaked down the sides of her face. She desperately grasped to the other side of the bed, hoping to feel her husband's form under her arm, but instead found a note where the Irishman usually slept. If her heart could beat, it would be doing so at a hundred per second. She took the note and began reading, relief beginning to wash over her as she went through it.

_Good evening, darling._

_Sorry I'm not home. I needed help with something. Old Drac can surely lend me a hand with this. In the meantime, I left something for you by the nightstand. Hope you enjoy them._

_Love, the idiot you are married with._

The vampiress rolled her eyes at the last jibe, and she finally relaxed. _It was just a bad dream._

As if on cue, little Nate began bubbling and babbling from his crib. Mavis went to check after the baby, who somehow knew there was something wrong with mommy, and began reaching forward with his small arms. The novice mother scooped him up in her arms, and the baby cuddled against her in his awkward attempt of a hug. His mother giggled softly and smiled.

"Thank you, little bat. Are you hungry?" the baby answered by looking at her with his wide eyes.

Mavis decided to busy herself with taking care of her son while Padraigh returned from whatever he needed to do.

* * *

O'Donnell walked back to the small-ish cottage he lived in with his wife and son. Dracula's words still occupied his mind, and as such, he was impressed when he arrived in what seemed like a very short time to his destination. He still hadn't made up his mind about the whole thing, so he sat in the steps leading to the door and watched the forest while he tried to sort through the whole mess he had created for himself. Mavis had probably heard him arrive, because she exited the cozy interior and sat by his side on the wooden steps. She leaned on him and cuddled, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"You alright? I got kindda nervous when I didn't find you in the bed" Mavis said, a slight tone of worry in her voice. O'Donnell cringed. He hated when he made her worry.

"I'm sorry, darling. I just needed some help to think about the Ireland thing."

"You know, we don't have to go if you are not sure about it. We can go later, when little Nate is older."

"I know, Mavey, but… I feel like I'm being unfair with you. You've wanted to travel around the world for a few years, and now… I'm not saying little Nate is not a blessing, nor that I don't love him. But I feel like this is my fault. If I had been more careful…"

Mavis stopped him, his words causing her pain.

"It isn't your fault, Paddy, please stop blaming yourself, alright? I know we didn't plan for little Nate, but he's with us and that's what matters. And yes, I wanted to see more of the world before we settled to start our family, but like I said, he's here with us, and I feel very happy about it. Don't you feel happy too?"

The Irishman had to admit that the vampire girl was right, but he still felt very responsible about the situation at hand.

"I guess you are right. But, I was thinking about it, and… well, your Dad doesn't mind having little Nate around…" His wife giggled to herself, shaking her head.

"I wouldn't expect any less. But are you sure? We don't have to do this"

"It's alright. I'll tend to my problem in Ireland and then we take our last trip. Sounds good?"

"Yeah. I'll miss little Nate's crying, though. I think I'm getting used to it" They both laughed at this, in a light moment that broke the uncomfortable atmosphere that had permeated the place. O'Donnell hugged his wife closer and kissed her deeply. So deep that they had to part for air, but they didn't really want to. In the end, they returned back home to their sleeping child.

* * *

_Two days later_

* * *

Johnathan stood straight, his Dress Uniform neatly pressed and worn. The loud report of the rifles echoed through Arlington cemetery, and reminded him once again of the many firefights and ambushes they had survived in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Nobody really knew about the nature of his deployment in these areas, neither that he had been fast-forwarded to Ranger School thanks to a very observant Drill Sergeant. It was something that he didn't want people to know, and he was happy to keep it to himself. The twenty-one –shots salute ended, and the service was officially over. The affair was incredibly discreet, with only him and a couple other squad mates accompanying Jessica and Tommy, John's three-year-old son. The kid held on tightly to the flag given to him, as if it was his father himself. It broke Johnny's heart to see someone so young having to deal with the loss of someone so close to him. His squad mates left the place, not before offering help and encouragement to the widow and her son. Johnathan stayed behind until everyone except for the family left.

"Johnathan, right?" Jessica asked, holding back some tears that she hadn't gotten around to shed. Not in front of her kid anyway.

"Yes. I'm… sorry… I know it doesn't change anything. If you ever need something…"

"Thank you. I'm glad John had friends like you. He… left a letter for you. We found it in his will, and were told to not open it and deliver it personally to you." She produced an envelope from her purse, sealed, as she promised.

Johnathan took the letter, not sure what to say. Jessica hugged him, and then left without a word. Tommy waved at Johnny with sad eyes, following his mother. The envelope was open in less than ten seconds:

_Johnathan_

_If you are reading this, then something real bad happened. I wrote this for you to know two things._

_One, that you are one of the best people I've ever met, and that the friendship that we forged among the dust, mud, mountains and blood is one of the things I'm the proudest about. You became the little brother I never had, and I'm thankful that we crossed paths, even in the worst possible place on Earth. It pains me to realize that I never told this to you in person, while I had the chance, but it's better late than never, right?_

_Two, you are not crazy about that dream of yours. I know you, and I know that you are not someone that breaks easily, especially not to something like this. I wish I could tell you that I have the answers you are looking for, but I would be lying. The only way for you to get to the bottom of it is to dig. Not only in your mind, but out there too. It's a longshot, we are, after all, seven thousand million individuals in this planet. But you gotta try, brother. Remember what good old Sergeant Hartman told us: the only time wasted is the time you spend overthinking the situation". _

_I'm sorry it has come to this, but you know death, it loves to taunt at us in the cruelest ways possible. Don't give up. I might not be there anymore, but I'll be watching you, brother. _

_I'll see you on the other side, and remember…_

_RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!_

_-John_

_P.S. No flowers on my grave! Only the Red, White and Blue. I mean it._

Johnathan finished reading and couldn't avoid feeling mixed emotions. On one side, his friend was dead, and nothing could change that. On the other hand, John had found a way to lessen the blow of his very own death, and was encouraging Johnathan to not stop and dwell on it, but rather suggested that he had to move forward and fix his own situation. Johnny left Arlington, leaving a miniature red, white and blue flag, just like his friend requested.

He didn't know when he would come back and pay a visit to his fallen brother, but he was sure John would understand.

**This one was a bit hard to write. So... I know (and I think you know too), that this story has wildly deviated from the HT story. I know some don't mind and others have a little problem with it. You'll be glad to know that I've already planned other fanfics, more related to the movie than this one (one of them is an AU, a retelling of the story but with more action and and OC instead of Johnny). In the meantime,bear with me, please. I'm trying to create aa good story, so if you feel like I'm failing to do so feel free to say so in the reviews. If you like it, well, I appreciate it. See you in the next update!**


	5. Bad Omen

**Hey guys! Update time!**

"Paddy, have you seen little Nate's pacifier? Dad won't take him if he's as rebellious as now!"

"Uhm, no I haven't. I'll look around for it, you mind telling the Pumpkin Fella to get our stuff in the Hearse while I search?"

"Who's he calling Pumpkin Fella?" answered the Headless Horseman, feigning indignance.

"Sorry, Mr. Horseman. Would you be so kind?"

"Of course, Mrs. O'Donnell" the Horseman picked up the two over-sized suitcases and carried them to the outside of the small cottage and onto the hearse's trunk. At the same, Mavis tried to calm the baby, who was crying loudly on her arms. O'Donnell came down the stairs, wearing a three-piece suit with a white, cotton T-shirt underneath and his son's spare pacifier in his right hand.

"Sorry, couldn't find it at all. But here, the spare one should do" he said as he clipped the item to Nate's shirt and stuffed the rubber tip on Nathan's mouth. The baby continued to cry with intensity, causing his mother acute ear pain. _Who said sharper hearing is always a blessing?_ Luckily for her, her husband took the infant from her arms and began rocking him. The baby calmed down almost instantly.

"I think I should take him all the way to the hotel, Mavy"

"Why, yes, thank you" she sarcastically answered, picking her black dress jacket and filling it with her figure. While nowhere near as dressy and classy as her husband's attire, it gave her a proper look and made her look more grown up, something that she liked. She suspected that it came as a trait of her upbringing as Dracula's daughter, what with the famous vampire always being very proper, even more so when clothing was involved. Whatever the reason, she wasn't about to disagree with it. The vampiress was the last through the door, turning off the lights and locking the door. The couple got on the hearse and the Horseman drove off at an insane speed, arriving at Hotel Transylvania in relatively short time. Vlad and Claire Dracula were already waiting for them in the entrance, the old vampire carrying his baby daughter in his arms.

"Hey, guys!" Mavis cheered as she dismounted and jogged to meet her dad and adopted mother. She hugged them both, having not seen much of them since her son was born, "And you, little Lilith. How's my little sis doing?"

Lilith gurgled and babbled, apparently happy to see her grown up sister again. She wasn't sure the baby recognized her, since last time they saw each other Mavis was still a bit… swollen. There really was no telling with baby vampires.

"It's so nice to see you, my sweet dead-ums. And you look so great!" the Count, complimented his daughter. As much as he hated to think about it, he was forced to admit that his daughter was a grown up woman now, with a husband and a son of her own. That didn't mean she didn't have some childish feats every now and then.

"Yeah, you look great, Mavy. Got to tell me your secret, I don't seem to look as good after a pregnancy." Claire declared with fake jealousy. Both women giggled at the joke while Padraigh was finally able to dismount without disturbing his son's sleep.

"Mavis has always looked fabulous, and you too Claire. Vlad can agree with me, don't you, gramps?"

"Indeed. But don't make me feel older than I am." The vampire grumbled, irritated at being called "Gramps". _I'm not that old!_

"Hey, you are a grandpa, but that doesn't mean you are old, does it?"

"Believe me, he's not. Anyway, we should get on with this, before little Nate wakes up and cries for mommy." Claire really didn't want to deal with _another_ rebellious child. She was having serious doubts about how she would take care of both of them. Dracula would help, sure, but in the end she would be the one with the most things on her platter.

"Actually, he's not been very needy of mine today. In fact, he's been very sticky with his dad. I don't know why" Mavis declared, seriously worried that something might be wrong with her son.

"Sometimes it happens like that. Baby vampires are usually very close to both of their parents. I don't think it's much to be concerned about" Dracula explains, as Claire takes little Nathan away from his father. The baby somehow knew he wasn't in Padraigh's arms, as he immediately began crying again. The old vampire was impressed with his grandson's pulmonary strength, but he didn't really liked what he was listening.

"It's alright, little guy, I'll be back before you notice! You won't even miss me!"

"It's ok, we'll take good care of him, you lovebirds enjoy your trip. Now go before I regret any of this." Claire expressed, trying to lull her grandson into sleep. Mavis and O'Donnell said good bye to the couple and the babies and mounted back on the hearse. As the vehicle rocketed towards the airport, Mavis' demeanor changed from excited and energic to extremely pensive. O'Donnell easily detected this, and it began bothering him.

"Hey, Mavy"

"Uhm… yes?"

"You alright? You look kindda spaced out. I thought you'll be thrilled to go on this trip"

"I… I am thrilled, it's just… the thing with little Nate back there… its… no, forget it… its ok. I'm ok"

"Are you sure? If you have doubts…"

"No, no… its fine. Seriously, Paddy, its ok"

The Irishman was left pretty distressed, but pushing the issue any further would make the trip uncomfortable at the very least. He decided to let it be, and contented himself with holding her close. Even then, he could feel her slight shaking, as if she was afraid of something. She eventually relaxed after they boarded the plane, were she was able to catch her usual day-sleep, cuddled against her husband, while he remained wide-eyed during the whole flight.

_Do you believe in bad omens, Paddy boy?_

* * *

Johnathan finished packing his suitcase, ready to take the flight back to Florida. He looked around his hotel room, waiting for an hour to bleed out before heading there. Torres' letter was still on his mind, having read it a couple dozen times now. He wanted to solve the puzzle, he really longed for closure, at the very least. But it was also true that he really didn't know where to even begin.

_There must be something I can use. A loose tread to pull from… Wait… the landscape. Maybe I can start there!_

He pulled out a small case from his pack, containing pencils and other art items. Torres was the one who had once suggested he took upon art as a way of relieving the anxiety that Johnathan's dreaming caused him. He spent the best part of the next hour illustrating the forest of his dreams, a spooky, yet lush forest that covered some hills. His artistic abilities, earned from the months he had spent learning and refining his technic, allowed him to confer a great amount of detail to his work. When he was done, he quickly stowed it away and left for the airport.

* * *

Three hours later he was sitting in the first class section of his flight, sipping iced water from a glass and looking at his work. The familiar forest was hard to place for him, something really odd since he had been travelling all over Europe some years ago. That narrowed it a bit: it was surely a place he had been to before.

"Nice work. You an artist?" he heard from behind him. A man in dress clothes was looking at his drawing in the most inconspicuous way he could.

"Uhm… not really. Just something I drew out of boredom" he lied.

"You have talent. Can I take a closer look?"

"Sure"

Johnathan reluctantly agreed and handed the drawing to the man. The stranger inspected the artwork, as if recognizing the place.

"I take it you've been to Romania, huh?" _Romania?!_

"I… traveled through Europe some years ago, but I don't remember much about it"

The stranger laughed, returning the drawing to Johnathan.

"Yeah, well there is some crazy stuff in Europe, you were probably enjoying it a bit too much and that's why you can't remember about it. But still, Romania has something distinctive about it. Must be all that Dracula lore that permeates the area, it makes the forest over there look distinctively creepy, but cool at the same time"

"Yeah, probably. Sounds like a good spot to go visit."

"Oh, that it is, believe me! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go back to my music. You should think about being a pro artist, seriously, you got talent"

"Yeah, thanks…" Johnathan disconnected himself from the conversation, instead retracting into himself.

_Romania? Wasn't I mount-climbing with some fellas there? YES! Then… my rope snapped, and I fell… thank god for safety lines… and then… I went to a tavern, and the owner and his wife, they said something about… _

_A spooky forest! But then what?_

He was onto something, he could feel himself breaking through his locked-down mind, but the memory refused to come out. He focused on it, pulling the thread that had finally come loose, until he felt something wet dripping from his nose. He quickly used his hand to try and stop the leak, but it came out red. _Shit!_ He quickly got on his feet and headed for the restroom, locking the door behind him. He used some toilet paper to clog his bleeding nose and sat on the small toilet. The blood and the splitting headache were clear signs he was getting near of what he was looking for, but he wasn't ready to pay the price to find out just yet. _Baby steps_, Torres had said every time he went to see him.

_Baby steps, Johnathan. Easier said than done_

**_This one feels like a filler... because it is. Have you noticed I have some problems when writing Johnathan's parts of the story? I don't know, they feel kindda awkward. Anyhow... I know these chapters haven't really been that good (yes, guys I'm aware), but they are a bit necessary for me to build up momentum (you know, from Ok to Great, like it was with Resignation). I'll try not to disappoint with the story guys, it's already well thought-out. So, don't forget to review and leave your input. It's rude to leave without reviewing, guys!_**


	6. Past and Present

**Hope you like this one guys!**

Daniel entered his brother's office, only to find Johnny stuffing his few belongings in a reinforced cardboard box. These few personal effects included a desk clock and an M9 sidearm encased in a glass box. It was something that threw him severely out of balance.

"What the… what are you doing?"

"I'm… leaving. I'm taking a trip"

"Vacations? But you don't have to pack up for that, I'll just lock down your office and…"

"No, bro. I'm not going on vacations. I'm going to look for her."

Daniel got stiff. He knew who he was talking about when he said 'her'. _Dracula's daughter._ _Shit, shit, shit!_

"Your imaginary dream-girl?" he asked, raising his voice and wearing his best poker face. He couldn't afford to let his brother know that he was aware of the existence of the vampire girl, "Are you kidding me?! She probably doesn't even exist! Are you really leaving us, in this very precise moment, Johnny?!"

"I'm sorry bro, but I KNOW she exists, and I'm going to find her, I don't care what it takes."

The office fell silent, with Daniel fuming and Johnny resuming his packing. He was done in little to no time. He didn't really have much in the way of personal belongings.

"Exactly why did you come here, sorry?" Johnny asked, bringing the conversation back on tracks. His overall demeanor wasn't very somber, but the happy-go-lucky boy that he once was had died away many years and firefights ago. Today, he was a well-oiled former fighting machine with a mildly-stern permanent face, which looked uninviting for anybody who didn't know him really well. Daniel knew it wasn't a façade, he knew his brother had seen and done a lot, things that he would rather not ask about, but the change was still something that severely threw him off-balance.

"I…I came to tell you our logistics company is trying to terminate their contracts with us. I'm heading down to Ireland to sort this out. I wanted you to come with me as my business partner, but now with this…" Daniel sighed and paced around. It looked like he was disappointed with his brother for trying to leave, but in fact he was very worried about Johnathan's decision to go look for a dream-girl that Daniel knew was real. _What the hell am I going to do now?_

"You really want me to go with you, I'll go. But I part ways after it is done"

* * *

"Wake up, sleeping beauty" Mavis heard someone whisper in her ear, and a smile came to her lips as she recognized the voice.

"Are we there yet?" she sleepily asked, not opening her eyes and instead cuddling closer to him. She felt an arm embrace her and a kiss to her forehead.

"Almost, pilot just said that we get ready for the ride. He said something about now understanding why they advise not to drink alcohol before flying" an older woman shot O'Donnell a serious look, to which he just shrugged and smiled at her. Mavis had already had her eyes open enough to watch the exchange, giggling softly at the event.

"Yeah, right. I'll settle for not crashing and burning."

"Yeah, no shit!"

* * *

"I gotta say, I missed this weather, Mavy"

"I like it too. I like Ireland a lot in fact, but it never seems to be stable enough, Paddy."

"Yeah, I know. It's really sad, sometimes it's so bad that people are afraid of going out of their homes, lest they find themselves being caught in a car bombing or something. But it's been peaceful enough for quite some time, maybe the fighting sides are really considering a lasting ceasefire, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that."

"Enough of that, Paddy, we are here on vacations, remember?" the vampiress said, quickly changing topics and letting her husband take her suitcase from the rented car's trunk.

"As you wish, my lady" he mockingly vowed before tossing the keys to the valet and going inside their hotel. The luxurious hotel left the young vampire awed. Sure, Hotel Transylvania was a very classy and formal place, but The Merrion Hotel? It was something entirely different to her. The place looked like something straight out of the royalty, with fancy furniture and tapestry. This antique-looking style blended with modern-looking marble-tiles hallways and meeting rooms. The lobby was incredibly ornate, giving it a lot of grandeur, and the gardens… _Dad would love it here… or have a fit in the spot. I only need a fancy Victorian dress and I'll be at home._

O'Donnell quickly confirmed their reservations at the desk and the staff quickly and efficiently took care of their luggage. Their efficiency and politeness was also stellar, and left Mavis wondering how they would stack up against the witch maids. After a couple of minutes they were on their room, looking at the city by the balcony. The couple stood in silence, taking in the view and enjoying the intimate moment, Mavis resting against O'Donnell and his arms embracing her slender figure.

"Come on, honey, we've got somewhere to be" he suddenly said, kissing her neck and walking back into the room to open his luggage.

"Somewhere to be? But we just arrived! How can we need to be somewhere if our plane just landed a couple of hours ago?" Mavis said, incredulous. She loved her husband deeply, but the man had a way of being very secretive and plan some big surprises. It was a nice quality, but it sometimes really ticked her off.

"I made some calls beforehand, darling. And I think you really want to go where I am planning to take you" he said, pulling out a clean shirt and changing into it. The young woman stood motionless as he did so, taking into the sight of her shirtless husband. The man was attractive. Not Mr. Universe attractive, but he made women on the street turn and look at him. This bothered his wife at first, but when it became obvious the man only had eyes for her, well… she actually began to enjoy the other women's jealousy. Adding to that, she was still very young and naïve, having discovered the… physical pleasures very recently (relatively speaking at least), and thus she was easily distracted by him being even partially unclothed. That didn't mean she didn't take flak from Paddy from time to time. Like now.

"See something you like, my lady?"

"Uh… no" she answered, blushing like mad and looking down.

"No? Am I that bad?" he asked, pretending to be hurt.

"No, no! I mean…"

"I'm just kidding, honey! Calm down!"

"Padraigh O'Donnell! You are a mean person!"

"Yeah, but you love me, right?" he said between laughs.

"I'm forced to. So where are we going?"

"Nuh uh, it's a surprise, you'll see when we get there"

* * *

They walked the streets, arms linked and making small talk. They arrived to a modest but formal restaurant. The place was in full swing, with a band playing a cover of Junco Partner. Some people even took to dancing on the very small space! _There's some really crazy folk in the world. _

They entered the place, choosing an empty table on a corner, somewhat near to the playing band. A waitress arrived and left them the menu, later returning with a bottle of wine that O'Donnell selected. When she was gone again Mavis got closer to O'Donnell and whispered.

"Is it my imagination or did she recognize you?"

"She did recognized me, sweetheart. That's part of the reason I brought you here…"

"Well, look who just decided to pop around after 10 years!" a booming voice with a thick accent exclaimed, his owner soon on their table and extending his arms. O'Donnell stood up and hugged the man, scarcely a few years younger than him. _Come to think of it, they have a certain familiarity… wait a sec… no way…_

"And who's the pretty bird, Paddy boy?"

"She's not a bird, you wanker, she's my wife. Sean, Mavis. Mavis, this is Sean. My brother."

_Brother?!_

"Pleased to meet you. Wife?! I never thought you had it in you, old timer"

"Piss off!" both men laughed at it and the three sat down at the table.

"Brother? Paddy never talked about a brother" she said, inserting herself into the conversation to avoid being left out. She also had some questions that needed some serious answering.

"Not surprised. This guy would love it if we really weren't related at all. Isn't that right lad?"

"Come on, I don't hate you that much"

"Whatever you say, grandpa. Nah, it's not that bad. It's just that… we didn't grow up in a tight and loving family, you know?" Sean began explaining, a little more serious now, "Our Dad was one of those "black magic" types, a powerful guy. He meets Mommy O'Donnell one day and he quits the black arts, to try and live a "normal" life. They had five kids, including grandpa here and me. One night the village downhill caught wind of his past, and a mob stormed the hut we all lived in while we were sleeping. We escaped, taking our brothers and sister with us. Mom and Dad never made it out. The villagers killed them and… hung them in the public plaza. We couldn't get the kids to stop crying that night. Paddy boy here had to take care of us all on his own, be Mom, Dad and brother all at the same time. When we were grown up we all went our own ways, and only Paddy and I kept some semblance of contact after that. I don't know where Anna or Aiden are, it's been too long since they left, and Patrick… we went to his funeral after one of the factions detonated a car bomb in front of the building he worked in. So it's practically just Paddy here and me. Isn't that right, grandpa?"

Padraigh nodded somberly, remembering the anger and sadness he felt when he had seen the bodies of his parents, murdered by intolerant people who felt righteous about leaving five kids without parents just because they weren't like them. Mavis wanted to cry. Not only because of the terribly sad story she had just been told, but because now she realized why O'Donnell was the way he was, and, more importantly, why he was so protective of her and little Nate's. He didn't want to lose them like he had lost his parents and brothers. The tears welled in her eyes and blurred her vision. A commotion on the small bar of the restaurant caught Sean's attention and he excused himself momentarily. Mavis took the opportunity to take O'Donnell's hand into hers.

"Is… is it true?" she asked, with a broken voice. She could barely believe the story. O'Donnell simply nodded again, looking down at his hands, remembering something.

"He was my first kill. The guy that…. organized the mob and personally hung them." He could remember, beating the guy to death with a tire iron. Revenge had tasted so sweet then. Now? He didn't even want to remember. _ What am I gonna tell little Nate when he grows up? 'Daddy was a murderer and an assassin, aren't you proud of him?'_

The table was silent for a moment, Mavis respecting O'Donnell's grieving. She finally hugged her husband, who slowly returned the gesture.

"It's your past Paddy. It's behind you. You still have your brother, and me. And little Nate. And we all love you." She told him in a soothing voice.

"I know, Mavy, and I love you all too, specially you and Nate. But I am afraid of losing any of you. I don't want to…. to wake up in the evening and find you gone, or worse. I… I can't imagine life without you or Nathan. I've already lost my parents, my brothers and my sister… and I have blood on my hands too. I… I don't deserve any of this. I don't deserve you…"

"Stop! Stop right there! Please." She was on the verge of crying, sobbing slightly against him, "Don't say that, ok? Don't say you don't deserve me because you know that's not true. You are a good person and you know it, you are a loving parent and an even more loving husband. Maybe you made some mistakes in your life, but nobody is perfect alright? What matters is that you are a different person than you were back then. You are better than what you used to be. Keep that in mind"

They embraced in silence, the discussion briefly settled and the mood lightening u a bit when the band resumed playing after Sean resolved the issue at the bar.

"Sorry about that. Anyways, you said you were married? Well, congratulations! I trust you can keep this old timer safe?"

"Yeah, I think I can" Mavis chuckled.

"Good. By the way. Have you heard your husband sings, Mavis?" Sean said, a devilish smile on his face.

"Oh, no!" Padraigh grumbled, bumping the table with his forehead.`

"No, I actually haven't. He any good?"

"Oh, girl, you have no idea! Come on, Paddy, your wife wants to listen to you singing!"

"You are SO dead, Sean!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever grandpa, just get in there"

The band began playing at Sean's signal, and his brother quickly recognized the rhythm.

_Let me tell you 'bout a girl I know_

_She's my baby and she live next door_

_In the morning when the sun comes up_

_She brings me coffee in my favourite cup_

_Yes, I know, yes, I know_

_Hallelujah, I love her so_

_When I'm in trouble and I have no friends_

_I know she'll stay with me right 'til the end_

_People ask me just how I know._

_I smile at them and say, "She told me so"_

_Yes, I know, yes I know_

_Hallelujah, I love her so_

_When I call her on the telephone_

_And I tell her, that I'm all alone_

_All I got to do is count from one to four_

_I hear her (knock, knock, knock) at my door_

_In the evening when the sun goes down_

_And there ain't nobody else around_

_She kisses me and then she hold me tight_

_And says, "Daddy, it'll be alright"_

_Yes I know, yes, I know_

_Hallelujah, I love her so_

_When I call her on the telephone_

_And I tell her, that I'm all alone"_

_All I got to do is count from one to four_

_I hear her (knock, knock, knock) at my door_

_In the evening when the sun goes down_

_And there ain't nobody else around_

_She kisses me and then she holds me tight_

_And says, "Daddy, it'll be alright"_

_Yes, I know, yes, I know_

_Hallelujah, I love her so_

_Hallelujah, I love her so_

_Hallelujah, I love her so_

_Hallelujah, I love her so_

The restaurant erupted in applause, as Padraigh returned to his table and sat down. Mavis embraced and kissed him, and the three of them spent some hours catching up, even well past the place's closing time. In the end Sean told them the dinner was free of charge as a wedding gift (one of the few they got that wasn't something overly… indiscreet. They really ought to have a chat with Eunice and Wanda.

* * *

They arrived back in the hotel just before sunrise, positioning themselves by the window to watch the sunrise before going to bed. The natural spectacle was something they enjoyed thoroughly, embraced tightly and in a deep silence that meant a lot to them. When the sun was finally up and they had to completely close the blinds, they both laid on the bed, still dressed in that night's clothes.

"You sing pretty well" Mavis jabbed, causing the Irishman to chuckle.

"All things considered…"

They both laughed softly, then sharing a passionate kiss. It was something they never talked about, but their wedding night (or wedding day?) hadn't gone particularly well, with O'Donnell incapacitated due to his accident. Their actual getaway was serving as a consolation price for the uneventful celebration, and so, it wasn't long until they were slowly peeling their clothes away and getting comfortable in bed. The young vampiress was stronger than the human, but O'Donnell had a touch that made the girl melt, being able to be tender but firm in what he wanted. He had her around his thumb, and she wasn't planning on complaining any time soon. She was, after all, a young vampire in her prime, albeit inexperienced, and it was all so new to her. Being able to express love in a way so… intimate. The closeness said more to them than any word they could ever say.

Because there really was no word that could express what their bodies felt.

"Paddy"

"Yeah, Mavy?"

"You'll never lose me. Never"

**Fluffy ending, before the hell begins to rain. Anyways, glad you are liking this story, guys. Remeber to show your support by reviewing and giving feedback on things that could improve. See ya next update!**


	7. Two strangers

Mavis woke up first. Her cloth less form was covered by the silky duvet, and her husband had his arms around her. The clock marked 20:22, and she knew she was now able to go outside if she wanted to. But the bed was comfortably warm, and her husband held her so tightly that she doubted he was sleep. She didn't mind it at all, enjoying their first intimate moment in months, and wanting to never let go of him. She meant what she had said last morning. It hadn't been something motivated by the heat of the moment, it was something she had always believed in since she married him, but had never gotten around to say. It wasn't that she didn't feel a love as strong as that of her husband, but rather that life had given her a very cynical and harsh outlook in life. She really tried to be sweeter with him, he deserved it, but sometimes it was a bit hard. But he had a way of softening her up, with his unconditional love, his usual surprises for her, and the way he always did his best to see her smile, even if it was in the goofiest or looniest ways possible. In many ways, he was a lot like…

_Johnny._

She shifted, now uncomfortable. It had been a long time since she had last thought about her Zing. She didn't like to, it felt like she was cheating on her husband. But it is a natural reaction, to wonder what it could have been, and the vampiress could not avoid it. Not that it made any difference. The redheaded boy was gone, lost in a world with more than 7 billion people in it. But even if by some miracle they reconnected, or saw each other again, it was already late. Far too late. Her life was now on a path, with her husband and her son. Zing or no, Johnathan was now just a memory, and it was perhaps for the best…

A low grumble broke her reverie, and she felt O'Donnell shift slightly as he woke up.

"'Morning, beautiful"

"'Morning, handsome. Had a good sleep?"

"Yep. How about you, darling?"

"My sleep wasn't bad, but I preferred our morning… activities"

"Hmmm, you devious girl! They say morning exercise is good for health, you know?"

"Really? And… evening exercise?" a playful smile appeared in her lips, followed by a blush when she realized what she had just said. She was about to apologize for it when she felt him leaning closer to her neck. She flinched by instinct, but allowed him to continue, him sinking his teeth in her skin. He didn't bite her strongly, in fact, it could be described as tender biting. The young vampiress could not avoid moaning, the wave of pleasure coursing through her body, and making her shiver every time he breathed on her skin.

"Well, I am no doctor, so I wouldn't know about the benefits of 'evening exercise'… but we can do some… research. Can't we?"

And then there was no more talking.

* * *

The 747 landed at Dublin Airport little after midnight. Johnathan and Daniel went through customs and baggage claiming as quickly as they were allowed. They got on a cab outside the terminal and rode in silence to their booked hotel.

"Thanks for coming. I know that you really want to go to look for… the girl. But this is really important, Johnny"

"I know, that's why I came, but I meant what I said, bro. I'm leaving after you are done here"

"Fair enough"

His hotel room was cozy and classy, something Johnathan hadn't gotten very used to. He could remember some of the youth hostels he had been to while in Europe, none of them even near as luxurious to his current beddings.

"Now I know why there are so many spoiled rich kids" he muttered to himself, changing out of his suit into a long-sleeved, high-necked black T-Shirt and khaki cargo pants. He threw in a black leather jacket for good measure and then exited the room, taking the keycard with him. He met Daniel down at the bar, where his sibling was drinking some scotch while looking at copies of (what Johnathan presumed to be) the copies of their contracts with Flintridge Logistics, formerly known as O'Donnell Logistics.

"I was hoping to catch some Zs, instead, I'm on a bar, looking at you go through some paperwork. Don't you think it would be better to rest the jet lag off?" Johnny declared, voice slurred from lack of sleep. He poured himself a finger of scotch and gulped it, then setting the whisk as far from himself as possible. Breaking his drinking addiction had been a very difficult task, and he wasn't about to relapse just because he had a long flight.

"Yeah, sorry, bro, but I want to be armed for tomorrow's evening"

"You have a whole day to do that, Dan, come on! Let's hit the sack, or go and reel a girl in for yourself, I don't know, we've just arrived and I already feel like I am dying."

"Come on, Johnny, I'm sure you did worse in the army, you can't tell me this is rougher than that!" Daniel mocked him, setting the papers on the table.

"Yeah, but I'm no longer in the Army, am I? I'm a civvie now, and so are you. I can go to sleep whenever I feel like, can't I?"

"Yeah, you can, but I actually wanted to talk about the decision you made before. Johnny, are you sure of this? Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to talk you out of it, but think about it: it is probably just a dream, she might not even exist. You are gambling heavily on something hypothetical! How can I make you see that?"

"You can't, Dan. You might think I'm crazy or out of my mind, but I am absolutely, positively sure that she's real. I know she's somewhere out there. I have to at least try!"

"BUT WHY?! You don't even know her! You don't know anything about her! You can't feel something for someone you don't even know!" Daniel's sudden outburst caused the few patrons in the bar to turn and look at both of them. The awkward moment was very brief, everyone going back to minding their own business. Johnathan waited for his brother to cool down before saying one simple, terse sentence.

"I'm going to bed, and so should you, to sleep you anger off"

* * *

He was in his room ten minutes later, looking out of the balcony with a finger of scotch in a whisk. The streets bellow were lit, but there were also some alleys or sectors were the lights didn't quite reached. He entertained himself thinking about what could be going on in these places: drug deals, prostitution, murder, black market transactions… the underworld was pretty much the same everywhere you went. He sipped the alcohol, scanning the neighborhood. He was about to give up and go to bed when movement caught his eye. Something was moving along the wall of what he suspected was an apartment building. It looked like… _Someone is walking on the wall?!_

He rushed to his luggage and unpacked the small spotting scope he had brought along. He settled on the balcony's railing and supported the scope with his arms. Through the lenses he could see what was clearly a human figure _walking _along the wall, defying all gravity. He zoomed in, beginning to notice greater details. It was woman, of that he was sure. She had a slender and curvy figure, very attractive, indeed, and he could also tell she was dressed in black when she stepped into the light. He focused the optics on her facial features which slowly came into light, revealing… bangs-styled hair, framing the most stunning face he had ever seen. He almost got lost in it, looking straight into the soft-blue eyes that were now looking at him through the scope, as if they were face to face. The world disappeared outside the round field of view, and time seemed to stop for a while.

It was like… _a Zing…_

* * *

O'Donnell watched as Mavis walked on the wall. The young woman was always thrilled about exploring their destinations from unusual angles, and it made him happy to see her happy, so he tried to keep her pace and guided her through his old neighborhood. The place hadn't changed that much, and he suspected he could still find the person he was looking for. But he wanted his wife to enjoy the trip first and foremost, so he waited until she was on the ground again. She was smiling like a little girl, until she felt a set of eyes on her. There was nobody in the streets, yet she felt like being observed. Anyone else would think of it as slight paranoia, but vampires know the difference between paranoia and being observed for real, and this was the real deal. She turned to look to where she thought the spying set of eyes were, and she felt it. The unmistakable feeling, the one she hadn't felt since her 118th birthday.

_A Zing._

_He's here. It HAS to be him. But why now? What is he doing here?_

She began felling panicked, and resorted to the one thing that would make her feel safer: she hid in the shadows.

"Mavy? Mavy, where are you?" O'Donnell called out, looking for his wife. A set of blue eyes, which looked extremely frightened and nervous, "Hey, are you alright? What's wrong darling?"

The blue eyes were low, proving she was sitting on the sidewalk. O'Donnell knelt in front of her and brought a hand to her cheek. The girl was shaking, extremely afraid of… _something._ He wanted to know why, but he didn't want to upset the girl any more than she already was. He settled for kissing her forehead and then holding her close. The shaking stopped after half-a-minute, and she composed herself a full minute after that. He held her hands in his' and waited, in case she wanted to say anything.

"I… I'm sorry, it's just… I felt watched, and it scared me. I'm sorry…"

"It's ok, it's ok. Probably just old Count Dracula sending somebody to keep an eye on us"

"Yeah! Yeah! It's… probably that…" she wasn't about to tell him about the Zing. He was her husband, and she felt bad about keeping it to herself, but there were things she didn't know how to talk about and would rather avoid the awkwardness of it. They decided to pretend nothing happened and went on with their plans. O'Donnell took her to an average-looking small house. He knocked on the door and waited, while a grumbling old voice got closer to the door.

"…care who you are, if you try to sell something to me I'll make you a new breathing hole in the chest!" an old man opened the door as fast as he could, holding an old-looking double-barrel shogun and pointing it in O'Donnell's general direction. He stopped at the younger man's sight, the hitting him on the chest with his open hand, as if to confirm he wasn't imagining him.

"I see your manners haven't changed, old-timer" O'Donnell joked, a half-smile on his lips. The old man smiled and embraced him.

"Well, well, you did finally came back, didn't you kid?"

"Yeah, well… I've been kindda busy" he looked sideways at his wife, and the old man finally noticed the young woman that had arrive with his friend.

"My, my. You finally settled down, didn't you kid. Who would you be, darlin'?"

"Mavis O'Donnell. Pleased to meet you, sir!"

"Don't "sir" me, young lady. If you are with this chicken here then you can call me Clive. I trust you've been protecting him all this time? As you probably realized he has a habit of getting himself in trouble."

"Oh, come on!" Mavis giggled softly at that, shaking her head.

"Something like that, s—Clive"

"Fast learner, I like that. Come on in, guys. I might not have a luxurious flat but it's cozy enough"

* * *

Johnathan laid on the bed, the darkness of the room allowing him to concentrate on his thinking.

_It's her! I know it's her! _

_But what now? I don't who she is. How do I get close? Will she feel the same way I do?_

_No way._

_Dan is right, there can't be love between two complete strangers. What the hell was I thinking? _

**_We are getting there, don't worry. Sorry I took a week off, this was planned for last week but instead I updated Red Typhoon. Anyways, remember to (please) leave your input, while I write the next chapter (hich will hopefully be published on time._**


	8. Now what?

It was day, Johnathan could tell. His internal clock was yelling at him to get up and run at least 5 miles, but he remembered that he wasn't home and thus he couldn't pretty much just go out and run anywhere he wanted. Or rather, he didn't _want_ to be running around a city he didn't know, around people who probably didn't like him very much. So far, the people at the hotel had been very polite and friendly, but it was their job to be so, and he didn't want to take any unnecessary risk on the streets. He was aware that Dublin was an incredibly safe city, all things considered, especially in modern times, but once you are programmed with battlefield awareness it's hard not to see every unfamiliar place as unsafe and full of potential dangers. He instead decided to make use of the hotel's exercise facilities for workout. He dressed in a sports pants and a black sweatshirt, then proceeded to the gym. He wanted to not think about last night's discovery, and so he plugged a pair of earbuds to his music player and jacked the earbuds as deep in his ears as comfortably possible and blasted music as loud as safely possible. The music and the subsequent strenuous exercise allowed him a moment of peace, after which he had to face reality: Daniel was right. He had found her, the woman that had been on his mind for months, in a dream that tormented yet soothed him. Someone he was sure he _loved._ But now what? Yes, he had found her, but they were both complete strangers to each other. More to the point, why was he sure that he loved her? He wasn't sure, there was actually no solid reason for him to say that he loved her, yet that was the only way he could describe what he felt for this anonymous woman. It was incredibly silly, and he was aware of it.

_Daniel is gonna have a jolly time, bugging me with his traditional 'I told you so'. At least one of us will be happy…_

* * *

O'Donnell was wide awake, something he was no longer used to. The couple had arrived to their room almost two hours ago, completely exhausted from their night trekking, Mavis even more so, since she had been flying and climbing all the buildings she deemed interesting. The girl had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, in one of the rare occasions where vampires fell into a deep sleep, but her husband remained wide awake, unable to scape to the unconsciousness of sleep. Instead, he was seating by her side, watching his wife sleep comfortably, her lips pursed in a light smile. He ran the back of his hand long her exposed cheek, making her curl into herself and cuddle. He couldn't avoid smiling at it, completely touched by the involuntary moment. He couldn't avoid thinking about the last night, when he took Mavis to Sean's restaurant. He really meant what he had said. He didn't feel worthy of her, especially considering his past. But at the same time, he felt extremely happy that she had decided to see beyond his past, that she had decided to stay with him, of all people. He knew he wasn't what Count Dracula called a 'Zing', he had had a small talk about these (and more) issues with Mavis' father, and thus, he knew he wasn't the girl's love of her life. But it didn't matter, they were both pretty much in love, and that's what mattered in the end. The only matter at hand was that of his short life-span. It wasn't that he was afraid of being bitten and turned into a vampire (far from that), the problem was… that Mavis had doubts about it. Despite them being married, Mavis wanted him to be one-hundred-and-ten percent sure that he wasn't going to regret that decision, because once made there was no turning back.

Not that it required much thinking.

That was the magic of love, as silly as it sounded to him. It made you consider (and decide) things that you wouldn't even think about before. Perhaps if he had been asked some years ago if he would willingly turn into a vampire he would have some doubts about the issue. But now? He wanted nothing but being a vampire, to spend the rest of his life, however long that would be, with Mavis and little Nate, the people who had brought new meaning to his life. That's why he wanted to get this over quickly, to go back home and finally get Mavis to bite him. And then… nobody knew what came next, but that is the whole point of life, isn't it?

Thinking about the present dilemma with his company made him wonder what it was all about. Summers hadn't given any details to him, other than a persistent 'Come here right the hell now'. The uncertainty was killing him, he didn't want to lose the company and the financial stability that it provided for him and his newly-formed family, but he certainly wasn't thrilled to be there. In the end, he decided to take a walk through the Merrion in order to clear his head and get a little tired. He was around the Restaurant area when he bumped into a familiar face…

* * *

Daniel was having breakfast in the Restaurant, going through his copies of the contracts with Flintridge (formerly O'Donnell) Logistics, readying himself to make heads roll if needed be, but he wasn't losing his main logistics company to a bunch of pussy-wad executives who were afraid of keeping their promises just because they were afraid of Uncle Sam leaving their asses flapping in the wind. Daniel had tried very hard to avoid doing business with that kind of people, but know he was trapped with them and he had to show them that the client was always right, whether they liked it or not…

"Marlow?! What the hell are you doing here?"

_O'Donnell?! Shit, shit, shit!_

* * *

"O'Donnell? I could ask the same! Your company is trying to back down from their deals!"

"What?! Who told you that?" O'Donnell was now really pissed. _I leave my company in trust of somebody else and suddenly they are trying to ruin it? Summers has a lot to explain!_

"Your guy Summers. Apparently, the people who have bought shares on your company want to turn tail and leave us on our own."

"Wait a second, shares? I have _not_ authorized the sale of shares from my company!"

"Well, it gets better, your company was renamed to Flintridge Logistics. Your new 'partners' apparently don't want to carry your name in their businesses"

O'Donnell was now furious. He was going to tear Summers a new one. He hadn't authorized any of this, and now he understood what was so urgent that he needed to come him. If Summers hadn't called him to ask him for help in kicking these pansies out then he was about to try and kick him out of his own company. Whatever the reason, heads would be rolling in the evening.

"Jesus, I didn't think it was that bad" he could finally say, trying to keep his cool while rubbing his forehead.

"I knew you weren't on board with this, but sadly I have to deal with them, since you've gone off the radar for the last year" Daniel added, trying not to make it sound like a rebuke.

"Yeah, sorry, but… I have a son now, you know? I am no longer able to drop everything and tend to the company. I've got a family to take care of. That's exactly why I left Summers in charge, but apparently I made a mistake. Sorry, Dan. I'll be kicking some ass in the evening, will you be there?"

"You bet, I'm not going to let some guy in a suit jeopardize what we have tried to build all these years"

"Amen to that. I'm leaving, I have to go to bed, been up all night long." He said good bye and returned to his room, now mentally exhausted because of the rage he had felt when finding out his company, the first great achievement of his life, was in bad hands and being destroyed. His pace was brisk, but he arrived to his room before he realized what was going on. He swiped the card on the reader and the lock disengaged, and then he slowly opened the door, just enough to peek inside. The young vampiress was still in bed, her sleep undisturbed. He slipped inside and laid himself by her side. It took him a few minutes to fall sleep, during which he watched his adorable wife pout slightly in her sleep. He finally escaped reality into dreamland, his arm by her hips and their faces just millimeters away from each other's.

* * *

Daniel watched O'Donnell leave, and he released the breath he had been holding. The redhead prayed that Johnathan hadn't seen O'Donnell's wife: Daniel knew that, despite the fact that Johnny didn't remembered Dracula's daughter, he would recognize her instantly, and more to the point, if this _Zing_ thing was real, it would happen again. And that would end up in disaster, both for Johnny and for her. The girl was now a mother, if O'Donnell was right about having a son (and why would he lie about that?), and was married, to topple things. Johnathan, on the other hand, was a different person than the one she had met. The easy-go-lucky kid from almost 5 years ago was gone, and gone for good, and it was a real possibility that, even if the girl chose him over O'Donnell (highly unlikely), she would be disappointed to see he was no longer the person she fell in love with.

_What a friggin' disaster. This is going bad really fast…_

He had buried his face in his hands, and when he looked up again he saw his brother, arriving to the restaurant and heading for his table, probably for breakfast. The man had a disappointed look in his face. _No fucking way…_

"What's going on? You look like someone kicked your dog."

"I… uhm… I had a wakeup call last night"

"A literal or figurative one?"

"Figurative, of course" Johnathan rolled his eyes while saying this, slightly annoyed, yet amused by his brother's attitude. It didn't make things any better, though.

"What was it, then?"

"I… I found her…" An awkward silence fell between both of them. Daniel tried very hard to hide his alarm, and apparently he pulled it off. Drama used to be his hobby at collage, and it came in handy at the moment.

"Your… dream girl?"

"Yep"

"And?"

"You were right. What now? I know she's here, and I finally know what she looks like: yet, I still don't know her at all, I don't know if she knows I exist, if she'll feel like I do… I don't even know if she's single…" he sighed heavily, resigned to reality, "Go ahead, we both know how much you love to say 'I told you so'."

"Maybe… it's not a good time to say it right now"

Both men had nothing else to say, and so, the day went by without them ever again touching the subject again, Daniel deeply worried about his brother, and Johnathan deeply depressed about being unable to be with the love of his life. Evening seemed to come too slow for their liking.

* * *

"Do you really have to go right now? Can't it be another day?" Mavis was now worried, the nightmare she had had before their travel was now haunting her again. She could remember how vivid it all was, and she was really scared that it might become true. Her husband could see the fear in her eyes, and stopped buttoning the vest of his three-piece suit to sit on the bed by her side. Mavis looked down, trying to hide the tears that were beginning to well on her eyes. The Irishman used his index finger to gently lift her face by her chin, noticing the trails the tears left on her puffy cheeks.

"I think there's something you're not telling me" he said, with a sweet, yet serious tone. Mavis looked at him, as if pleading for him to forget it, but the man wasn't having any of that. "What is it?"

She tried to calm down, to tell the nightmare as clearly as she was able to. She told it with great detail, almost as if recounting something that had just happened. When she was done she couldn't avoid sobbing, and O'Donnell couldn't do much but hug her tightly and try to calm her as best as he could.

"It's ok, honey, it's ok. I understand."

"Do you? Paddy, do you understand that if something happens to you… I'll be alone? That little Nate won't have a father figure in his life? How can I expect to cope with that? I don't know what to do, I don't know how to react if… if that happens…" she was losing it, and Padraigh could tell. He put his hands at the sides of her face, and used his thumbs to wipe the running tears. Mavis was finally calming down, so he embraced her again and let her cry the remaining tears. She was still sobbing, but it was subdued, and it gave him an opening to talk.

"I know it's something hard to think about… I felt the same way when…" his words got stuck in his throat, unable to come out. Even after all these years, his parents' death was a very sore spot for him, "But if anything happens… I know that you are strong, stronger than you think, and you are not alone, there's your Dad, and Claire, and all your aunts and uncles… what I'm trying to say is, you will never be alone, even if I… well… you know… You are a very brave girl, and I'm proud of that, and I know that there's nobody else in this world whom I'll trust little Nate to except you. If anything happens…. then… it was meant to happen, alright?" Mavis didn't wanted to think that way, it made her feel helpless, but she had to admit that there was some truth to them. If it happened, there was nothing they could do to change it. She nodded at him and gave a weak smile, barely a quiver of her lips. O'Donnell gave her one last, long kiss, before returning to dressing himself up. He left Mavis on the bed, in a pensive state.

* * *

Sarah Cooley was sitting by the reception desk, going over the new memorandums sent to every employee of O'Donnell Logistics. _Flintridge Logistics_, she corrected herself. It had been more than one year since anybody had seen Padraigh O'Donnell in the premises, and ever since Wesley Summers had taken over, the company was being flushed through the toilet little by little. At first they were small things: paycheck reductions, a few staff lay-offs, less contracts taken. But overtime, the changes began to be notorious: strange guys in suits strolling around feeling like they were in control, more people laid-off, and suddenly they began backing out from their contracts with their best customers. In her humble opinion, Summers was destroying the company that Padraigh O'Donnell had worked very hard to build. Whether by accident or intentionally, she didn't know, neither cared.

"Good evening" she heard from the other side of the desk. Her shift was about to finish, and she had to read the paperwork before leaving, so she addressed the newcomer without looking at him.

"I'm sorry, public hours have finished, please return tomorrow from 7:00 a.m. to 19:00 p.m., Mr…"

"O'Donnell"

* * *

"_He's already arrived, master"_

"_Good, the plan is in motion. Prepare for the target. I've been waiting for this day for years."_

"_Yes, master"_

* * *

**_So, there's that. I'm late, I know. Last weekend was pretty echtic, so I couldn't write freely as I wanted. But, I made it up to you, and I hope you like this one chapeter. The next chapter is going to be the turning point, so you won't want to miss it. If you liked this chapter, please review, I love to read what you think about my work._**

**_On a side-note: I was recently watching Martin Mystery (ah, childhood memories!) which is an incredibly awesome cartoon, and I felt like i could write something about that. For those of you who DID watched the show, I guess some of you agree with me that pairing Martin and Diana would be awesome, so, if you would like me to write that fic (probably a one-shot, although I COULD write a long-ish story about it) please leave your input in the reviews section._**

**_See ya when I see ya (probably next weekend)_**


	9. So long as you live

O'Donnell was lead to his former office, where Cooley offered him a cup of coffee and a pastry. He hadn't had much of these recently, but he couldn't say he really missed them. He sat on his old chair, sipping the (outstanding) coffee and eating the pastry, while he looked out the blast-resistant window. The city lights were on, and he could take on the beautiful scenery while he waited. He had just finished his snack when he perceived someone entering the office. He swiveled on the chair and faced the newcomer, whom he recognized to be Wesley Summers. He was wearing a two-piece suit with a sky-blue shirt and stripped tie, along with a preoccupied expression on his face. _He should damn well be preoccupied._

"O'Donnell! Thank god you're here!"

"Yeah, so I've heard. Care to explain me why the company I left to your care is now in shambles?" O'Donnell tried really had not to snap at him. Summers could be just another victim in this senseless plot, but it seemed very unlikely to him. Still, he was going to give the man the benefit of doubt.

"I… I really have nothing to say in my defense. I did my best since day one, but some creepy guys in suit began bringing some weird paperwork some months ago. The papers said that if you weren't running the show yourself then they were in their right to call the shots themselves. They decided to rename the company, sell stock… well, you know the rest"

"So what, I have to come back? No way, not happening…"

"Listen, I know you left for a reason, but if you don't help me sort this out the company will fall, and as far as I can tell, that would be bad news for you. You risked too much building this, will you let some freaks in suits destroy it? Then with all due respect, you are not the man that hired me to run this show"

O'Donnell arched one of his eyebrows and glared at Summers. The manager was testing the boundaries of insubordination, but O'Donnell knew he was right. He just couldn't go and hope for the best. It was _his _company, and as such, it was _his_ responsibility to set things right again.

"Fine. I'll stay for as long as it takes to sort things out. I don't know how much that will take, but by the looks of its gonna take a while. When am I meeting the freaks in suits? "

"Tonight. In ten minutes, in fact. Let's go to the meeting room to prepare the battleground"

"Yes, sergeant, sir!"

* * *

A lonely bat flew in the slightly-chilly night-wind, gazing down at the city below her. The blue eyes scanned the area, looking for a certain small building. She tried really hard to remember the address she had searched on the 'Internet' thing her husband was always talking about. At the same time, she did her best to remain inconspicuous. Her husband was a very perceptive person, more so with his… super-human abilities. She finally found her destination and stealthily perched herself on a building straight across the street. The small bat was enveloped by purple smoke and then turned into Mavis Dracula, who discreetly sat near the edge and watched the activity in the building. She focused her hearing, trying to find her husband, but she was being very optimistic. Sharper hearing didn't exactly mean she could find somebody if she wanted to, and there was a lot of junk noise to boot, so she gave up very soon and settled for watching as best as she could. While her husband had somewhat dismissed her worries, she couldn't shake the feeling that something would be happening that night, and thus decided that it would be better for her to do something about it, no matter how minor it seemed to be.

Now she just had to wait and see.

* * *

The meeting room was spot-less clean, probably just for the occasion. O'Donnell gazed out the window, trying to calm down. He had a funny feeling he was being watched, and he immediately looked for the source. He didn't have to look too much. Right across the building, on the rooftop of a small building, he could see an all-too-familiar shape trying to hide in the shadows. He strained his sight slightly and was able to see her clearly. She realized he had seen her and didn't know what to do, so she instead just stood there wide-eyed. O'Donnell just smiled and shook his head sideways. _Mavy, Mavy, Mavy. _

He kept his smile, until he felt someone behind him move quickly. The reflection on the window sent him into fighting mode…

* * *

Mavis watched her husband as he discovered her not-so-sneaky hiding place. _How did he know?_

She had learned not to be impressed by his seemingly-magic abilities, but sometimes she couldn't avoid it. She wanted to hide, not really willing to see if he was mad at her for following or trying to spy on him, but there was no point on it. She could clearly see him smile and shake his head, as if to acknowledge her worry and tell her that it was Ok. Mavis couldn't avoid smiling back, but her relief was short-lived when she saw a stranger trying to sneak up on her husband. All of the sudden, her nightmare played out, right in front of her eyes.

* * *

Padraigh reacted quickly, trusting in both his minimal training and extensive life experience. The knife screamed for his blood, and he wasn't about to give any to it. The curved blade was everything he needed to know about his attacker: Karambit knife, lethal in very close-quarters combat and designed to stab rather than slice. Nasty and effective. He needed some distance from the attacker.

"I knew you weren't to trust, bloody bastard"

Summers had changed. In less than half-a-minute the appointed manager of Flintridge Logistics had aged at least twenty years.

"Don't take it personal, boy. This has nothing to do with you, but with that freak you are married with."

O'Donnell's blood boiled in his veins, and he had a sudden anger outburst, blocking one of Summers' stabs with his arm and delivering quick, vicious blows to his opponent's stomach. His enemy reacted as soon as he could, head-butting him swiftly and then pushing him away. His enemy was now outside the effective reach of his blade, giving him room to wield his own one. With no respite, he shortened the distance between him and his target, now in full combat mode.

* * *

Mavis watched in horror as the man attacked her husband, noticing the glint of something that couldn't be described as anything but a knife. Her hands went to her face, and she immediately transformed back into her bat form.

_Please, Paddy, get out of there!_

* * *

O'Donnell was at advantage, his blade was longer, but he was rusty, while his opponent was strangely fit for a man of his age. Summers, or whatever his name was, lunged at him, an obvious attempt at deception, since his bade wasn't double edged. O'Donnell called the bluff, and by dumb luck struck the blade on the dull side and breaking the attack rhythm. He followed with a swift open-handed strike to the opponent's nose, which barely connected and only stunned the target for fractions of seconds. Summers retaliated, attempting to stab him with a punching strike, barely missing and instead slashing the stark-white shirt and dark vest and producing a small gash on the coat. O'Donnell was able to lock the attacking arm out of sheer, dumb luck, spun around his heel and struck the attacker with his free elbow twice. There was a metallic clatter, and then he realized the Karambit was no longer a threat. But Summers was.

* * *

Mavis' heart was beating fast, faster than ever in her life. She was seeing everything from outside, but she couldn't do much other than just watch as the battle unfolded. She tried breaking the window to get in. Maybe she could help him, at the very least get him out of there. But the glass was incredibly strong, and she realized it was also very thick, thicker than any other glass she had seen. She bumped time and time again, not knowing she was drawing attention to herself.

_Just break, dammit!_

* * *

Padraigh could hear a thumping sound, but he wanted to believe it was his increased heart-rate. _Please, Mavy, don't let it be you. Get away!_ His heart fell on his chest when he saw a small, blue-eyed bat trying to break the glass. He mule-kicked the stunned enemy and ran for the glass, waving Mavis away.

"Go away! Mavy, go!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

* * *

Mavis heard him through the glass, thanks to her hearing, and was about to fly away when she saw it.

* * *

O'Donnell only had time to process what had happened. A sharp pain assaulted him, a familiar one, a hot pain that was accompanied by the feeling of broken skin and tissue. An unholy scream escaped from his mouth as the blade was driven deeper into his lower torso.

* * *

Mavis screamed, frozen in midair as she watched O'Donnell get wounded. The man, the evil man, was now talking, but it was obvious he wasn't talking to the man he was trying to kill.

"…his was unnecessary, darling. He didn't have to die or get hurt at all. But you had to trick him, make him think you loved him. Poor kid, really, his only crime was to believe the deception of a demon like you, an offense to the Lord, daughter of evil. You monsters surely go to great lengths to try and remain hidden, but we will always find you, wherever you hide."

The words were meaningless to her, but clearly showed that, whoever this person was, he was out of his mind, and worse still, a fanatical psychopath.

* * *

A red haze was overcoming him, but O'Donnell refused to give up without a fight. With the strength he had left on his wounded body he trusted his head up, catching Summers off-guard and sending him flying backwards. He complimented the attack with a sucker punch to the face, buying enough time to get out of the room. Every step he took seemed eternal, a struggle to maintain his balance and consciousness. He barreled into an office and jammed the door closed. It would not stop anyone for long, but if this was it, five minutes was all he needed. He managed to open the window before collapsing in a heap bellow it.

* * *

Mavis saw the open window and dashed inside. If it was a trap or not she didn't cared. She wanted to save him, she wanted to hold her husband and be sure he was Ok. What she found instead was something she had tried to avoid at all costs.

"Oh my ghoul. Paddy!" the man was slumped by the window's foot, a dark shade of red coming out of his wounded torso. Mavis was no doctor, but even someone as oblivious to injury as her could tell that his chances of surviving were practically none. She was mad, at him, at herself, at the murderous psychopath who had done this to him, but it made no difference now.

"I'm sorry, Mavy… I…"

"It's Ok, Paddy, it's Ok, you'll be alright!"

"You… are a bad liar!" he muttered under his breath, a hoarse laugh following it, but the pain did not allowed him to pretend much longer. He yelled in pain as she wrapped her arms around him, sinking her head in his shoulder. Her eyes were welled with tears, tears of impotence and anger. She had refused to turn him right after the wedding, she had insisted they come to this trip together, and she hadn't stopped him from coming to this meeting. Was this her fault? _Did I Killed you, Paddy?_ That very prospect caused her to cry harder.

"I'm sorry… Ma-vy…. Tell little Nate…. That I'll keep an eye on him… Tell him daddy loves him…"

"Don't! Don't talk like that! Please! You won't die!"

"You… know that's… not true. Mavy… go… he's here for y-ou. Don't let him win. Protect… little Nate."

"No, no! I can't leave you here! And why are you giving up?! Aren't you angry? I did this! _I_ killed you!"

O'Donnell's pulse was very low, he had trouble breathing, and he could feel the pooled blood where he was laying. And still, he wasn't afraid. He wasn't afraid of dying, he wasn't afraid of the man that had killed him, and he wasn't afraid of the intense pain he was feeling. He had nothing to regret, despite having lived a life of dubious moral quality.

"I am angry… b-ut- I don't… want hate and a-anger to be the…last things I fe-el…"

Mavis felt his lips pressing against hers. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing time to stop, and just let her live in this moment forever. But reality sank in as their last kiss was broken and she felt him die in her arms.

"I…l-love… y-ou… bab-e…"

He went limp, his eyes closed, and the thin, subtle hint of a smile was the only emotion in his face. The newly-made widow was beyond shock, her face dug in his corpse's shoulder. She didn't want to let go. It was unfair, that he had died because of her, because of a crazy person that thought of her as a freak just because she wasn't born a human. But she had no time for grieving as the door swung open.

* * *

Johnathan moved along the hallway, his newly-acquired Five-seveN at the high-ready. The building had gone into lockdown for some reason, and they had heard a distress call broadcasted on the security comms. Soon, every security guard was armed, Johnathan included, and streaming towards the source of the call. He scanned forward, taking in on the abnormal silence.

"What do you see?" a rookie guard insisted, while getting a grip on a situation he never even expected to live through. Johnathan signaled a terse reply: "Can it!"

The rustling of clothing against the floor was now audible, and the four-man group moved forward slowly, Johnathan leading the inexperienced group. The door to the meeting room was wide open, and Johnathan didn't wait for his tail to be ready. He busted into the room, his training coming back to him. A slumped of a heavily-beaten man was on the floor, still alive and conscious.

"Mr. Summers! Are you alright, can you hear me?"

"I'm fine! That… crazy woman! She took O'Donnell!"

"What crazy woman?" Johnathan asked, pumped full of adrenaline.

"I don't know! But she's crazy! You have to find them both"

"I hear voices on the next office!" a guard whispered, in a fit of common sense.

Johnathan ordered them to stand down and give him room, stacking up by the door. He tried the doorknob, to find the door locked. A swift mule kick broke the lock and flung the door opened, while he repeated the breaching process he had gone through many times before. He froze mid-way through it, recognizing the figure kneeling by the window.

_You?_

* * *

Time stopped, and for the first time she wasn't completely afraid. It was just like when she was one hundred and eighteen years old, when an unruly and adventurous kid had stumbled upon one of monster-world's best kept secrets. But not anymore. That kid was a grown man now, and that girl a mother of one child; and married, just five seconds ago.

He couldn't pull the trigger, much less move at all. She didn't move either, her tears frozen in place for a moment. But there was no time to remain there, taking in on each other, as the room flooded with armed men intent on finishing what Summers had started. She was surrounded, and knew that they would kill her… had she been a human. The last thing every men in that room saw was a purple mist leaving through the open window. And they didn't know what to do, beyond just standing there and mourn the death of a man they knew, whether personally or just by reputation. But Johnathan's thought had slipped away from the room the same way the love of his life had just done.

* * *

"Johnathan, what the hell just happened?" the redhead had somehow arrived back to the lobby, were his brother had been waiting, escorted by two of the company's guards.

"O'Donnell… he's dead"

The mood on the lobby died away instantly, and the arrival of a stretcher through an elevator didn't do any favors. The senior staff had actually shed some tears, a silent testament to the integrity of their former employer, while the newer breed just kept their mouths shut out of respect. The paramedics rolled the body away, not even pretending to try and do something to save the already dead man. The elevator's doors opened again, and this time Summers was the one going through. Hasty bandaged were rigged to his frame were needed, and the man was covered in some blood, but he was otherwise Ok. The man was quick to call attention to himself, and Johnathan knew what was coming.

"Attention, please. Employees of Flintridge Logistics. It is with a heavy heart that I, Wesley Summers, confirm he rumor you've just heard. Padraigh O'Donnell, founder and first president of this company, has been murdered on our premises. Police has been notified and is now on its way to begin investigation. That will, sadly, not return a great man to us. In honor of O'Donnell's memory, I will task the legal department of the company to do everything in our power to return this company to its original name and glory. Padraigh O'Donnell might have been clutched away from us tonight, but his memory will live on for as long as we allow it"

A silent applause accompanied the speech, but Johnathan wasn't having any of it. That Summers guy had something that made Johnathan's intuition tick, and he had displayed EVERY single one of the clues of a chronic liar. He instantly disliked the guy, and Daniel could tell.

"Johnny, let's get out of here. This is not looking good"

Johnathan remained silent until dinner again.

* * *

Sean was ready to call it a night. The waitresses had already left, and the restaurant was ready to be tucked in. That is, until a heavy knock came on the door.

"Who the hell wants dinner at this hour? Me, of course…"

He expected a late-night drink partner, or one of his few acquaintances. What he found instead nearly broke his heart.

"Mavis!?"

The vampiress was bloody, eye-swollen and in a state of complete shock. She sobbed softly every now and then, and the tears welled in her eyes threatened to flow freely at any moment.

"What happened to you?!" Sean asked, getting her inside and sat up in a chair. The girl was now choking up with every sob, her gaze fixed on the floor. Sean had never seen someone in such a bad state.

"Mavis…"

"It's Paddy… he's dead, Sean…"

* * *

**Hope it was worth the wait, guys. It's getting kindda late, and I have to be up early for airsofting, so...**

**Please, leave your input in the reviews section, I always appreciate hearing your opinion on my job. Besides, its rude to enjoy others work without stopping by to even say hi! Nah, I'm joking.  
**

**Two quick announcements; I decided to go ahead with the Martin Mystery fic (even though no one told me if they wanted to read it, so I'll just pretend you did), and next week I'll be publishing a new Hotel Transylvania fic. It will not affect the update rate of this fic, so do not worry about it. See ya later.  
**


	10. An eye for an eye makes everyone blind

Mavis could not be consoled. The girl was in a complete emotional breakdown, being unable to stop crying. Sean, on the other hand… he was utterly shocked.

Despite the rather… difficult circumstances of their relationship, he had always admitted that he loved his older brother. After all, the man _had_ taken care of him and their siblings, he had been there, as a parent, a brother and a friend. And now… he was gone. No, he wasn't gone… he was murdered. This thought alone made Sean's blood boil, a murderous rage slowly beginning to grow inside of him. _No, I cannot go back to that. I promised Paddy I wouldn't. _

_Yet, I can't let this go unpunished._

He returned to reality, to a sobbing Mavis, her clothes still blood-stained and her eyes shut tight. She sat limply in her chair, her gaze fixed down on the floor. Her hair was now messy, and her cheeks were swollen because of her crying, but she just couldn't stop crying, her tears probably enough to fill a coffee mug. Every time she sobbed her body shook and the resulting tears stained the wooden floor. It broke Sean's heart to see her this way. She was family, after all, despite… what had happened. Sean raised himself from his chair and headed for her. Mavis sensed his presence and slowly looked up, tears still running down her cheeks heavily.

"Mavis…I… I don't know what to say… I know… I know this is very hard for you… if you need anything…"

The vampiress just sat there, looking him in the eye, her lower lip quivering. She couldn't speak, she had no words to say, and even if she had had anything to say, there was a lump in her throat, one that she just couldn't swallow. She just wanted to cry, cry as loud and as much as she could. For a moment it seemed like it would not be much longer, but the pain was stronger, and she broke in tears again. Sean could only watch as she cried, and he enveloped her in a hug. It wasn't an ill-intentioned hug, but rather one of comfort, for her to know that she was not alone in this. Padraigh O'Donnell might be dead, but Mavis O'Donnell was still alive, and as far as Sean was concerned, until the bastard that had killed his brother was dead, she was still his sister-in-law.

* * *

Johnathan was going through another night of insomnia. Daniel had been contacted by that Summers guy to tell him that, true to what he had said in the lobby just a few hours ago, he would see to it that the legal department found a way to break away from the executive board and seized control of the company again. After that, they would honor their contracts with both ARES and any other previous clients.

Johnathan couldn't care less about it. His thoughts were somewhere more important to him.

_What was she doing there?_

_Why was she crying?_

_Why did she escaped?_

_WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!_

His phone rang, and he picked it up in one swift move.

"Hey, bro, it's me. Are you awake? Mind if I come over?" Daniel's voice asked through the phone.

"Yeah, go ahead" Less than a minute later he heard a knock on his door, forced to answer it. Daniel simply entered the room and sat on the loveseat directly across the bed. Johnathan himself sat on the edge of the bed and looked at his brother.

"What? What is it?"

"I've been thinking about what happened tonight, Johnathan, and I came to a conclusion"

"Which is…"

"That you know something you're not telling me" _How the hell does he know?_

Johnathan just looked straight at him, weighing the pros and cons of keeping his mouth shut or telling him anything at all. In the end there really wasn't much to think about.

"She was there"

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the room. Of course Daniel knew who 'she' was. He just couldn't bear thinking that Dracula's daughter could be in any way implicated on O'Donnell's death. _Maybe she… no, there's no way…_

"And… what was she doing there? A-re you sure it was her?"

"Yes, it was her, I'm sure. What I can't put my finger on is why she was there."

Daniel's mind began racing at a hundred miles per hour, thinking about everything that could have happened. _No, there's no way she did it… Dracula said… but maybe he lied…_

"She didn't do it" Johnathan exclaimed, as if reading Daniel's mind.

"I never…"

"I know what you were thinking. She didn't do it. She was… crying… she knew O'Donnell, but how? What were they? What the hell is going on?"

"I… I don't know. Johnathan… if she's innocent… then who killed O'Donnell?"

"I don't know either, but there's one thing I know for sure. She saw who did it, and the responsible quite probably wants to silence her. We need to find her."

"No, no, what we need to do is to either collaborate with the investigation or get out of the way, Johnathan. I'm sure the authorities will be able to pinpoint the responsible for this…"

"Listen, Dan. I read about this O'Donnell guy, he used to be IRA enforcer some years ago. IRA is one of the best, if not the best, trained terrorist organizations. Whoever killed him, he had to be _better_. That kind of person can easily frame a girl like her for something she hasn't done"

Daniel hated it. Hated the fact that his brother was right, hated the fact that Dracula's daughter was involved in all this, and hated the fact that he knew where all this arguing was going to.

"So what do you suggest we do?"

"_We_ do nothing. I'll be going. I have to find her, I have to know what she saw. I…"

"_You_ want to protect her. _You _want to be with her. _You _are using this as an excuse to further your own goals Johnathan. I am not an idiot!" Daniel didn't even have to act for this one, he was really annoyed at his brother's pathetic excuses for staying close to the girl. Johnathan wasn't amused at all, but he was slightly surprised by his brother's outburst. He hadn't seen that in a very long time.

"Right now the problem at hand is who killed O'Donnell. Whatever might or might not happen between us is something irrelevant right now…"

"Bullshit Johnathan. I'm not taking part in any of this, so you'll have to do it on your own"

The slamming of the door was the last argument of the conversation, and it settled the matter. Johnathan merely sighed tiredly and went back to bed, this time falling asleep relatively quick.

He had a long day ahead of him.

* * *

By the time Mavis was finally sleeping in bed it was late in the morning. Sean's apartment, located two blocks away from the restaurant, didn't seem like a sensible hiding place, but their blood relation wasn't a well-known affair, and it was because of this that Sean felt confident that they would have enough time to grieve and plan their next move. Before taking Mavis to her room, he had been able to pry a few details from her. Namely, the name of the responsible for his brother's death, and where he would probably be. While it was far from smooth sailing, they at least had something to go through with. Right now, though, what they needed was time, to process what had just happened, and to accept the fact that they had lost someone important to both of them. He couldn't avoid, remembering, about everything he and his brother had done, both good and bad. He regretted that he hadn't enjoyed the time with his brother as well as he had wanted, and all the time they spent away, his brother traveling through the American continent, and him building and maintaining his new business. While it was hardly time wasted (at least when it came to what his brother had accomplished, a family, no less), it was time that they didn't get to spend with each other, time where they weren't on a pub, eyeing pretty girls and getting into fights with anyone who looked funny at them. He had looked forward to doing it one more time, while his brother was still in town, but now… well, he still owed Paddy one last toast.

"To you, brother. And don't worry, I'll get the bastard." He raised his whisk, and then gulped the contents in one swift move. After one exact minute he stood up and headed to a small bedroom he used as a studio. The fire-resistant safe he kept disguised as a night-stand was open in little time, and Sean mused when was the last time he had seen (or used) its contents. _Ten years ago. We were teenagers, but we lied to the IRA guys. We looked MUCH older than we were, and we were good at what they wanted us to do._ Inside the metallic shell he extracted rested a small-ish handgun, a Makarov 9mm. His brother always told him it was a ladies' gun, but the thing was reliable, and it served its purpose. The faint clanking of metal as he disassembled, oiled, and reassembled the weapon was the only sound made in the room. When he finished, he holstered the handgun in a concealed holster in the back of his waistband.

He needed help, somewhere or something to start with, but his leads were almost non-existent, and he was sure that Mavis was in such a state that trying to keep digging for info would upset her too much. She was already quite shocked, and the last thing he needed was to deal with a heartbroken vampire. _So… maybe…_ He picked up his phone and dialed a number he had committed to memory. It wasn't an idea he was fond of, but the guy _did_ owe him some favors. He could make him ask around about the name Mavis gave him, get an address, or something. He couldn't just go against him while he was in the company's building, he needed something private, where he could make him _sing_ everything he wanted him to say…

"Yeah? Who is this?"

"Someone you owe a favor to, and you better come through with this lest you want to wind up face-down in the nearest water body"

"_Ah, shit… Tell me it isn't about your brother…"_

"_You are such a great fortune teller, you should go into business. Now spit it out, what do you know? And I also need you to DISCREETLY ask around about a guy. You do this and I'll be out of your hair. You cross in any way… well, I already told you, didn't I?"_

"_Alright, alright, hear this…"_

* * *

Johnathan finished packing his sling pack. The last object to make it inside was the eponymous weapon he had used last night, the one he had been able to get away with. A security guard was probably pissed off, looking for his weapon, but that was something that didn't bother him at all. Right before mid-day, he left the room, erasing any traces of his stay there, going so far as to whipping his fingerprints from everything he had touched. He was now effectively a ghost. He needed to be. Hours later, when Daniel asked the staff about him, no one could remember seeing him before last night.

He was now free. Free to look for the love of his life, and free to keep her safe from whatever danger she was on. He was unable to realize what he was signing up for, but that wasn't about to stop him.

**Yeah, I'm kindda late, but still within acceptable parameters, ain't I? Anyways, this one was a bit slow, but I seriously needed to write this. If you like it, please review. If you don't, review anyways, remember that we develop our stories around your feedback. ANyways, I'm ate for going to bed, and tomorrow is a long day at college. See ya next update... probably for 'All I Am to You' or for 'If Only You Knew'. You can check those stories out in profile right up... there, at the beginning of the story. See ya, guys (and girls, I suppose)...**


	11. Hunter and Prey

Mavis woke up. For a moment she didn't know where she was, r what had happened before she slipped into Dreamland. For a few seconds she was at peace, nothing able to break her down. And then, it hit her, like a speeding train. She turned around, looking for someone, but she was alone in the bed. _He's dead… he's really dead… _New tears found their way down her cheeks as she sat on the bed, hugging her knees and tried to curl into herself. Her strength was maimed by all the crying she had done last night, but she still had enough to keep crying for the rest of evening. Her husband was gone, and the full implication of this finally downed on her. She was alone, in a foreign country, with a baby back at home that had just lost his father, and a murderer and psychopath trying his best to make sure little Nate didn't have a mother anymore too. But that last one was irrelevant to her now. Her husband was dead, and she couldn't avoid feeling like it was her fault. _I shouldn't have insisted to come! I… we should have stayed at home, safely. I'm such a STUPID! _It was painful to even think about it, to realize that maybe, just maybe, she was the responsible for all this, for… It was unspeakable for her, and it made her feel like the worst person in the world.

_Dad was half-right. There ARE evil humans out there._

* * *

Two days passed way too quickly for Johnathan's liking. He had been prowling the streets of Dublin's less fortunate areas, getting acquainted with the Irish underworld. It was, indeed, not very different from anywhere else. By the second night of prowling he had discovered something akin to snitch for the underworld, a person that sold information for the right price. _Except that I am not buying anything, but beating the shit out of him._ The mere thought made him smirk, as he watched the guy across the street. The darkness, unpierced by the few streetlights that still (somehow) worked protected and concealed him from anyone's sight, and allowed him to keep an eye on the rat and anyone that made business with him. It was 11:24 p.m. when he decided to introduce himself to his target. The hooded figure showed no signs of alarm, probably used to walk-in customers in the dead of the night. _Drug dealer_, Johnathan instantly thought, further closing the gap between both of them.

"You JTrain?" he asked, in his best attempt to sound thuggish.

"Aye, what you lookin' for, man?" the dealer had barely finished his sentence when Johnathan smacked his open palm in his face, stunning the man and sending him stumbling backwards into the alley. Johnathan followed him, grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket and pinning him to the graffiti-plastered wall.

"What the hell man! Your fellas said they would wait for Sean O', I told you I didn't wanted any part on that!" snapped the dealer, in a mix of irritation and fear.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Johnathan was already piecing the clues in place by the time the guy began to confess.

"What am I talking about? The guys in the shady outfits, they said they were here to take Sean and his dead brother's girl. Are you not with them?"

_Shit_. "When are they doing that?"

"Wait a sec, man, I don't have to tell you shit, I ain't afraid of you, you motherfu…"

The redhead was losing his patience, causing him to knee the bastard in his stomach, one, two, and three times, until the guy was feeling _a lot_ more cooperative.

"You aren't JTrain, are you?" he finally asked, realizing that it was all set-up, just not for him.

"Look, this guy, he told me to stand In here and sell product, gave me some clothes and told me a guy named Sean would come and ask for him, and then some creeps in black outfits would take him and a girl away. That's all I know man, please. H-he even said he would kill me if I screwed it up. Please, man!" the anonymous bait begged him, and it was quite pathetic to him.

"Shut up. You have bigger problems right now. Where will these creeps in black be coming from?"

"I don't know man, I just know they'll be coming some 20 minutes before midnight. That's when this Sean guy is supposed to arrive. I swear, I know nothing else."

"Then shut up and listen. Proceed as you were told, but when the creeps show up get that Sean guy into cover, I'll deal with them. DO NOT fuck this up, or I'll kill you or real. Are we clear?"

"Yes! Yes!"

"Good, then go back to your business"

* * *

True to the criminal's word, at exactly 20 minutes to midnight a black sedan parked at the block's corner, some ten meters away from the alley. The vehicle was non-descript, a mark of professionals. Four men stepped off from the vehicle and then scattered in two teams of two. _A snatching team and a look-out team_, Johnathan thought to himself, watching from the shadows. _These guys definitely mean business._ The two-men teams remained away from sight, but Johnathan's eyes were already used to the very-low light conditions of the night, and so, he was able to move undetected near the look-outs, who were facing the direction were they had come from. The snatching team was hidden near the alley, no doubt intending to surprise their target from behind, cutting off his scape. The redhead waited patiently for another fifteen minutes, until he noticed a new comer. The guy was good: he made a visual sweep of the street and waited full five minutes until he decided to approach the imposter.

* * *

Sean was jumpy, but he did his best to hide it. In the underworld, fear was a sign of weakness, and that was something he didn't want others to see in him. He had been, after all, one of _the most _feared men in the streets of Dublin. Yet, he was no longer that man, and he was painfully aware of that.

"Mavis, I need you to wait here."

"No, Sean. If that guy knows something about the bastard that…" her words got stuck in her throat, trying hard to come out, but staying inside anyway, "… I need to know. Please."

Sean had objected fiercely at the idea of Mavis coming with him. She was, in turn, fiercely stubborn, and insisted that she would go with him. The man had serious doubts that any of them was in shape to go ahead with what had to be done, but they couldn't just sit on their hands and wait for her hunter to come for them. Still, Mavis was Sean's responsibility for the time being, and he was very worried that the guy he had come to see had flipped or ratted him out. He had to play it safe, but how did he explain that to her?

"No, Mavis, please, stay here. This guy… he's not a person that I trust completely. If he sided with the bad guys… I can't afford to let them take you, alright? You still have to take care of my brother's son. I don't want to be the one to lose Nathan's mom. Please. He's the only thing left from my brother. He needs you."

Mavis looked down to the pavement, some tears welling in her eyes. She felt guilty for not thinking about little Nate back at the Hotel. She was forced to admit that he was right, beyond any doubt.

"Ok, I'll wait here, but please be careful, I don't have anybody else to help me. I don't want to be alone in this" Her voice was cracked, barely audible, and full of sadness and fear.

Sean nodded, understanding her pain exactly. He checked to see if he still had his weapon holstered and then calmly strode to where he was supposed to meet JTrain.

"What the fuck? You are not JTrain!" he had time to mutter.

* * *

_Now or never._ Johnathan set his plan in motion. With a quick but silent dash he was holding one of the look-outs in a choke-hold, while with his free hand he shot the second one in the left knee. He then proceeded to slam the choking man against a car`s hood, then pistol-whipped the bleeding-knee man into oblivion. He had no time to waste, quickly spinning his frame to face the remaining threat.

* * *

One shot rang, and Sean couldn't even remember when he had pulled out his 9mm and fired at one of the two armed figures that had tried to surprise him. A second and third detonations rang, and the second figure scrambled for cover, not before letting out a shot, which barely grazed Sean's arm. He was furious. _The bastard not only owes me a favor, now he owes eating a bullet to me. _He pushed the imposter out of the way and into safety, while he covered himself behind a dumpster. A burst of metallic clatter convinced him to do his best to remain out of sight. _If I can get close without him hitting me… yeah, I would have a chance._ It was suicide, to say the least. But the situation was desperate, and police was sure to be on its way to make arrests. He was steeling himself, gathering every ounce of courage in his body, when he heard a muffled grunt coming from the alley's entrance. The only thing he could see now was a slumped body dressed in black and a redheaded-man standing near it.

"It's clear, I took care of the other ones"

Sean doubted about the intentions of the newcomer, and so, he kept his weapon aimed in Johnathan's general direction.

"Who are you?"

"Johnathan Marlow. And you are Sean O'Donnell, Padraigh's brother" This sent a chill down Sean's spine.

"Do I know you?"

"I knew your brother… sort of"

"Marlow… you one of his clients' relatives?" He could swear he had heard 'Marlow' before, he just couldn't quite put his finger on it…

The stranger handed him a set of keys and a cheap cellphone.

"Use their car, but check for trackers and dump it ASAP. He is alive, just knocked out cold, I'm guessing he can tell you one or two useful things. If you find anything useful, use this, and only _this,_ phone only…"

"Why are you doing this? What's your business in all this?" Sean was genuinely puzzled as of why would a total stranger would be helping him. Johnathan simply stared at him for a few seconds and decided to make himself scarce.

* * *

Mavis had heard everything, and was steadily but carefully trying to approach the alley. What she saw left her breathless. It wasn't the dead men on the street what left her speechless, but the fact that _he _was there. _Johnny…_

The world suddenly didn't seem a bad place to both of them. For a moment, they had no worries, they were away from the present time, just taking into each other. She had red eyes, swollen eyelids and looked extremely tired, but Johnathan could swear he had never seen a prettier woman ever in his life. Mavis, in the other hand, could now see the changes in him more clearly: he was more muscular, his messy hair was gone, replaced with a short haircut. His face seemed hardened, no longer the one of a kid, and his posture was that of a secure man rather than that of an easy-go-lucky teenager. Johnathan really wanted to stay there forever, but he remembered what had just happened, and decided to leave, running down the street and melting in the shadows, leaving Mavis frozen in place.

* * *

"_Who's this? I'm telling ya, if you want to sell me something, sonny…"_

"_Clive, it's me, Sean"_

"_Oh, it's you kid. Listen, I heard about your brother… I'm real sorry, I don't know what to say. You know you and your brother where like sons to me"_

"_Thanks, old man. It means a lot coming from you"_

"_Are you… into it? This calls for action, kid, and you know the Garda won't give a shit, especially not when they find out about your brother's past affiliations. If you need help, anything, just ask"_

"_I'm glad you say that Clive, because I need some help. I have someone that would happen to know something about what happened to Paddy. I need a place to stash and beat the truth out of the tosser. Think you can lend a hand with that?"_

"_Great job kid. My apartment works for that. Can you get here?"_

"_Yeah, but I don't know if this car is bugged. I don't want to lead them to you. Meet me at the pub"_

"_Alright. And kid? Is the girl with you?"_

"_Yeah. Why?"_

"_Be careful kid. No matter the circumstances, she was your brother's girl. There's a line you don't cross. Remember that and stay away from trouble"_

"_I know, Clive. Believe me, not even in my dreams would I do that."_

* * *

Mavis was petrified as soon as she stepped out of the car. _No, please no…_ There was no way life could be _this _sadistic, it was just too much.

"Mavis?" she heard Sean call softly by her side.

"Can I wait here? Please. I… I can't go in there, Sean" her eyes begged him to let her stay, but his common sense told him it was a terrible idea.

"I'm sorry Mavy, but I need to keep an eye out for you. I cannot protect you if I can't see you. I promise it won't be long, but I need you to come in with me" Mavis closed her eyes shut and grabbed his arm. Sean would have felt uncomfortable in other circumstances, but he understood it was a meaningless gesture, just the girl's search for protection and comfort from someone she could trust. They went through the door together, just to find the place empty except for the bartender and a familiar old man.

"Kid, it's good to see you safe and sound. Mavis, I'm sorry. We are all saddened by what happened. If there's something you need, besides skinning the responsible for this alive, we are all here for you." The older man was being honest, Mavis could tell. He had helped her late husband when he didn't have enough to take care of his siblings, and probably was a fatherly figure to him, so it wasn't a longshot to think Clive had developed a father-and-son-like relationship.

"Thank you, s… Clive. I… I just want justice for him"

"Don't worry about it, we are working on it. I would prefer to discuss this with Sean only, if you don't mind. It's not something I like to discuss in front of others. You understand, right?"

"Yes, of course. I'll… pick up a table and wait" she left both men at the bar, while she slowly took in on the empty place. _It was here. I was sitting right alongside him, wondering if he had… _She instinctively sat on the very same seat she had sat that day, all those years ago, and met the man that would become her husband. _He was an ice cube. So serious, yet… he was so handsome. He always was…_ Her gaze fell to the table, and she hid her face in her hands. There were no tears this time, her tear-ducts completely dry from crying over the last two days. But it didn't diminished the pain. It just fueled her desire for justice, but the line between justice and revenge was beginning to get blurred, without her realizing it. She wasn't frightened by that, because she didn't cared. She just wanted the guy to _die_, in a way more painful than he had killed her husband, and she was going to make sure it happened that way.

* * *

"She's not good, kid. I know that look. She is hurt, but she also wants heads to roll, and that's not Ok. You need to keep an eye on her, or it's gonna get messy. Give her a good reason to keep her cool. Maybe… get her in contact with her parents, or something. She needs somebody to make her see reason" Clive had always been the voice of reason, which didn't meant he couldn't be strict and rigid at times. He downed a whisk of scotch and served himself again.

"I know old man. I'm doing my best, but right now I'm tied up. Besides, there's someone else involved in this. He said he used to know Paddy, and that he's here to help"

"And you trust him?"

"Too soon to tell, he did help us bag the bastard in the trunk", Sean stopped for a second, side-looking towards Mavis, checking that she was lost in her thoughts, "I think he also knows her. I caught them eyeing each other, and it was… different. It was not just the eyeing you give to a friend or a known associate. This new guy… he knows her in an intimate way. Maybe he's an ex, or something…"

"Don't sweat on it right now. Focus on one thing. If the guy proves himself reliable then make use of his help. Whatever their past, it's not important to the task at hand, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. Could you sweep the car? I did a quick sweep, but I want some insurance"

"Sure thing, kid. Keep her company, I'll be right back"

* * *

Mavis felt a hand land on her shoulder, and her head shot up upwards.

"Are you alright?" Sean said, lowering himself to her level.

"Yes, it's just… it all started here. Right in this very same table I'm sitting. He had saved me from some thugs… I came in here and just… found him. It was… strange. I never thought…" her words were drowned by her starting to sob slightly, "And now… I can't… I can't take this, Sean... I… just want to it to end. I don't know what to do"

There was nothing he could say to comfort her, so he kept silent while holding her hand and rubbing her back soothingly. He was feeling the exact same way, but he didn't have time to grieve. He still had to learn about their enemy, and time was of the essence.

**Sorry guys, I was very busy this weekend. I'm still gonna update the stories, I'll probably update "If Only You Knew" tomorrow and "All I Am To You" on wednesday. Stay tuned and remember to review, your thoughts inspire me to write a little faster. And, again, I invite you all users who are unertain about writting in here to join this community, we would all love to read new stories by newcomers, to keep this category alive. Don't be afraid, as one of my high school teachers used to tell us: Nobody knows what we win when we lose our fear. And hopefully all my fellow writers feel a bit more inspired to continue writting. I haven't forgotten about you. See ya in the upcoming updates.**


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